Why is it so popular? The reason why a leather tote bag developed by a complete amateur has sold a total of 380 million yen.

2024/02 HushTug Editorial Department

What do you prioritize when shopping?

While it has become easy to purchase a variety of items online, you may have also had many bitter experiences, such as thinking, "That was a mistake..."

That's why everyone

"A really good product that many people feel is a good purchase."

You're probably wanting to find the perfect leather tote bag, but did you know that there is a certain brand of tote bag that has been selling at an incredible rate since its release ?

"The ultimate leather tote bag" made by a total amateur

Let me introduce myself again. My name is Toda, and I am the representative of the leather brand HushTug.

It's in the middle of the photo

HushTug is a relatively new brand that opened its online store in April 2019.

The tote bag introduced above was developed by me at the same time as I founded HushTug, but up until that point I was a complete novice with no experience in bag development, let alone the apparel industry.

The tote bag that I made has been purchased by many customers and has also received many positive reviews.

Online Store

Amazon

Rakuten Market

Why did the tote bag I made, a complete amateur, become so popular?

I would like to reveal the secret behind this tote bag that has sold over 380 million yen in the four years since the online store launched .

The trigger for the development was "a high-end brand bag I bought in the past."

The impetus for its development came from my own experiences.

When I moved to Tokyo from my hometown of Tottori and was working in sales,

"Because I work in sales, where I'm often seen by others, I want to use a good bag."

So I went around to several famous brand stores looking for a genuine leather tote bag.

However, I couldn't find the bag I wanted. The reason was:

Bags from famous, high-quality brands were expensive, costing at least 50,000 yen or more.
There were no designs that I liked because the famous brands had logos and original brand patterns all over the products.

That's it.

At the time, I stretched my budget and bought a bag with a design that I liked, even though it was expensive, and that experience has stayed with me ever since.

Is it possible to make an "affordable tote bag with high-end brand quality"?

A few years later, in 2017, I visited Mongolia for some reason.

While living in Mongolia, a country rich in nature, I encountered many animals and leather products made from their skins, which gave me the idea of creating my own leather brand.

If you have had a problem in the past, there are likely many others who have had a similar experience.

"Wouldn't it be great if we could make a simple tote bag that could be used in any situation, but at a more affordable price?"

The concept is

"Ultimate simplicity with no unnecessary features"

We have started making high quality yet affordable bags.

Three essential elements in developing the tote bag

From there, we spent a year or two developing the tote bag, and created the initial model of the tote bag we know today.

We put a lot of effort into it, but the thing we couldn't leave out was,

design
quality
Cost performance

There are three types:

◎Design

Just like when I struggled to find a high-end brand bag, I didn't want to use a logo or a distinctive pattern.

To embody the concept of "ultimate simplicity with all unnecessary elements eliminated," we made sure that no metal fittings or logos were visible on the outside.

◎Quality

There is no point in simply making cheap, low-quality products.

What I was looking for was a luxurious tote bag that I could use for formal occasions.

With that in mind, the material was naturally genuine leather.

The leather used in current tote bags is cowhide leather from Himeji, one of the leading leather producing areas in Japan.

We use materials that are resistant to water stains and scratches and maintain their luxurious texture for a long time.

Additionally, the sewing of the finished bags is done by a Japanese sewing factory that has been in business for about 90 years and boasts the most cutting-edge technology.

Because of the extremely simple design, any imperfections in the stitching or construction cannot be tolerated.

Thanks to the technology unique to Japanese factories, we have been able to achieve quality that is comparable to more expensive products.

◎Cost performance

However, if everything from materials to sewing is done in Japan, the price will naturally be higher.

If you look into it, you'll find that it's not uncommon for a tote bag to cost 40,000 to 50,000 yen, and it's not uncommon for them to cost over 70,000 yen.

I felt that at that price, just like the struggle I had with high-end brand bags, customers who really wanted the bag would not buy it.

That's why we use some unusual methods to ensure cost performance.

While most brands produce their products in factories and then sell them in stores through trading companies, HushTug manages everything from production to sales in-house, eliminating the need for intermediate costs.

As a result, we are able to sell our products at reasonable prices compared to brands that similarly use domestically produced leather and produce in Japan.

When we actually show the tote bags to people at sewing factories and leather trading companies, they are amazed and say, "This tote bag is amazing for this price!"

Finally completed! The most popular leather tote bag

The result was the leather tote bag that is currently on sale at HushTug.

When it was finished I thought, "I've made something good," but I wouldn't know whether customers would actually be happy with it until we put it on sale.

Although I was a little worried, I started selling it through crowdfunding and online stores, and many customers

"I wanted a tote bag like this."

They were very happy with it.

We basically only sell our products online, but we have received many reviews on online stores.

I'm also very happy that most people have given it high ratings, with an average score of 4.7/5.0.

Actual reviews
(You can slide it sideways)

I have absolute confidence in this product, so I hope you'll pick it up.

This tote bag was the catalyst that inspired me, a complete beginner, to start a leather brand, and it changed my life.

There were some difficult times during development, when we had to remake samples over and over again, but we overcame those difficulties and are absolutely confident in the tote bag we created.

That's why we offer peace of mind support , allowing you to return and exchange the product free of charge for any reason, no matter how much you use it, within one month of purchase .

HushTug products are not sold in department stores or shops, so they can basically only be purchased through our online store.

・I want to try a HushTug tote bag, but I'm not sure if it will suit me...
・I'm worried about buying online in the first place because the product might be different from what I expected.

Many people may feel the same way.

Before online shopping became so popular in recent years, shopping typically meant going to a department store and choosing items from a familiar brand .

It's common to think that if you choose a brand you've purchased from before or a brand that has been around for a long time, you won't go wrong.

As we mentioned earlier, HushTug is a new brand that started selling in 2019.

It is not as well known as a famous brand, nor is it a traditional brand.

However, there is one thing that HushTug can be proud of and is not inferior to all those other brands.

That is, "being sincere to our products and our customers."

Create the ultimate in simple, high-quality products
Deliver to customers at a fair price

We are thoroughly committed to these points, and have absolute confidence in the essential aspects of shopping: our products and customer support.

That's why, once again, we offer free returns and exchanges for 30 days, regardless of the reason or how much you use the product .

With free returns, you can never go wrong, so if you're considering buying a tote bag, be sure to give it a try.