A huge hit with over 1,500 units sold! The story behind the creation of this leather shoulder bag created by a designer with great care

2025/1 HushTug Editorial Department

A shoulder bag perfect for everyday use. It leaves both hands free and has excellent storage capacity.

Did you know that a shoulder bag made by a certain leather brand is currently selling at an astonishing speed?

Let me introduce myself again. My name is Nakajima and I am a designer for the leather brand HushTug.

In fact, the leather shoulder bag that we released last summer has received a much better response than we expected.

Just a few months after its initial release,

-An incredible rush of orders immediately after sales began!
・A total of approximately 1,500 units sold (from launch to January 2025).
- Ranked first in cumulative sales amount for the second half of 2024.

It has received many positive reviews, with an average review score of 4.5/5.0 (as of January 2025).

If you only heard about these achievements, you might think, "Oh, I'm just bragging."

But no, this is not just a boast.

Because this leather shoulder bag

"This is a bag that I, the designer Nakajima, created with all my heart and soul, and that I truly believe to be cool."

That's why.

-How did the wildly popular leather shoulder bag come about?
-What makes it different from other shoulder bags?

I will tell you the story behind how the HushTug shoulder bag was created.

It all started with a casual comment from one of our customers...

The moment of truth: A challenge born from customer feedback

I usually work as a customer service representative at our Ikebukuro store.

One day, we received the following comment from a customer.

"Don't you have a shoulder bag?"

That one word took me by surprise.

At that moment, I thought.

"If I don't respond to this kind of feedback, I'm not fit to be a designer."

Actually, I myself have been wanting a "cool shoulder bag" that I can use on an everyday basis.

So we immediately started planning and conducted thorough market research, which led to a discovery.

There aren't many simple shoulder bags!

As we continued our research, we discovered some surprising characteristics of the shoulder bag market.

The problem is that many bags are "overly decorated."

for example,

-Large logos and flashy colors -Excessive pockets and zippers

Designs that featured this characteristic stood out, and many of them gave the impression of being somewhat "too assertive."

On the other hand, there are also many bags that are shaped like the classic messenger bag, and although these are functional in their own way, I felt that many of them were a little out of place with the sophisticated styles of today .

"Where can I find a shoulder bag that strikes the right balance between style and practicality?"

The answer remains unknown.

That's why we at HushTug knew it was time to create a bag to fill that gap.

The first sample turned out great!

"Combining style with practicality" - this was our conviction as we moved forward with development.

For the first prototype, the first sample, I tried to recreate my ideal shoulder bag.

Here is the completed example

- Attach a flap to protect the inside of the bag.
-Interior pockets have also been improved.

From the first sample, I felt that we had created something that was perfect in terms of design and functionality.

My expectations are high, thinking, "This could make an amazing shoulder bag..."

"What? Isn't this kind of lame?" Harsh feedback

Having completed the first sample, I was in high spirits as I went to the company's planning meeting.

However, what awaited me there was a flood of unexpected, harsh feedback.

"It's kind of... lame."
"Doesn't he look like an old man?"

I was shocked at his honest opinion.

Of course, feedback is an essential part of product development, but we never expected the reaction to be so negative.

What was especially frustrating was that it wasn't clear exactly what the problem was.

"How can I improve it?"
Is our design direction wrong?

These questions came to mind one after another, and I began to lose confidence in how to proceed with the project.

I remember feeling doubts about the efforts I had made up to that point, and giving up many times.

Continuing the challenge: A second sample with further improvements

The harsh feedback gave me pause, but I didn’t give up.

"How can we combine sophisticated design with practicality?" I asked myself this question as I made repeated improvements.

Feedback from our customers and YouTube viewers was key in this process.

▼YouTube video showing samples from that time▼

In order to refine the design based on the honest feedback of our customers,

- The flap has been removed for smoother opening and closing - The overall bag is more compact, giving it a neater impression - An internal pocket has been added to ensure practicality, allowing a wallet or tablet to fit inside

And so we made further improvements.

Here is the completed example

Then, when we brought it back to the planning meeting, the situation changed completely.

In stark contrast to previous years, employees responded positively one after another.

"This is cool!"
"It looks so stylish!"

This change in evaluation was a great morale boost for the entire team.

It was also the moment when I became convinced that "the direction we were aiming for has finally taken shape."

After repeated improvements, the second sample was finally close to being completed as a product that was truly "HushTug-like."

We never compromise on design, and we continue to evolve while overcoming each challenge one by one - that is our approach to manufacturing.

The number of pre-orders was unprecedented for the first sale! 90% of the orders were favorable, and the product quickly became a hit.

However, we still feel anxious because we won't know until the product is released whether customers will actually like it.

However, immediately after sales began, a large number of orders came in, and it became a huge hit, with a total of approximately 1,500 units sold (as of January 2025).

Furthermore, most of the reviews from customers who have purchased the product are highly rated, with over 90% giving it 4 stars or more .

Actual reviews
(You can slide it sideways)

Also, when we talk to our customers, they seem to be particularly satisfied with the "good value for money ."

At HushTug, we adopt a business model in which we handle everything from product planning to sales to after-sales support in-house, cutting unnecessary costs as much as possible.

Because there are no middlemen, it is possible to produce shoulder bags that are very cost-effective.

In addition, HushTug offers peace of mind support , allowing you to return or exchange the product free of charge for any reason within one month of purchase, no matter how much you use it .

・I want to try the HushTug leather shoulder bag, but I don't know if it will suit me...
・I'm worried about buying online because the product might be different from what I expected.

For such people, we offer a 30-day free return or exchange policy, regardless of the reason or how much you have used the product .

With free returns, you can never go wrong, so if you're considering a leather shoulder bag, give it a try.