10 Leather Goods Brands Like Linjer You've Probably Not Heard of But are Worth a Look + What You Should Know Before Buying Quality Leather (2019)

When well-made and treated with care, leather goods can turn out to be quite an investment piece – and of course, it also helps that they are durable and tend to weather beautifully.

There’s a notion that real leather is expensive and way out of the hands of the common people – but no, that’s not so. The majority of the masses hesitate when it comes to buying leather goods’ – that’s because either the price is too high or they are not sure as to whether the leather is authentic or not – in short, they are not sure as to where the leather is sourced from.

But with ‘Linjer’, that won’t be the case.

What’s ‘Linjer’, you ask?

‘Linjer’ is a luxury leather brand that focuses on creating minimalist and high-quality leather goods, by drawing inspiration from ‘Oslo’ – a Roman’s native – the name ‘Linjer’ means “lines” in Norwegian.

Founded by Jennifer Chong and Roman Kahn, who are also the designers for the brand, they have been creating products since 2014 that have stood the test of time. Loved by many because of the simple designs, ‘Linjer’ sells directly to consumers from their online store, thus cutting the costs of middlemen and unnecessary costs that raise the price of leather goods.

As for the leather and where they source it from, they create leather goods from leather that is sourced directly from the leading tanneries in Italy through the process of vegetable tanning – in fact, their tanneries have even won accolades for their environmental practices.

Speaking of ‘Linjer’, there are various other luxury leather brands which focus on leather goods, that you should take note of.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Leatherology is a luxury lifestyle brand that focuses on leather goods. Right from handbags to wallets, office accessories, travel accessories, their products are made from the finest materials sourced from the best tanneries around the world.

One of their USPs is that all of their collection features leather goods in multiple hues, and often focusing on bold and striking colours – red, yellow, green, purple, pink, grey – and timeless ones – brown, black, navy, maroon.

Another USPs of this brand is that you are not going to find their logo on any of their products, instead you get the option to personalize their products as per your wishes – that means they let you choose monograms of your choice and they will use the same by using heated brass dies or by hand-painted lettering.

Started by a sister-brother duo Rae and David, Leatherology focuses on an only online business model with all their products being manufactured in their own factory.

Inspired by the women who do it all, while juggling simultaneously many roles, the brand ‘Senreve’ is for them.

Born due to the lack of the perfect bag suitable for the professional woman, Senreve came into existence when they took matters into their own hands. A women-centred brand, Senreve created a line of handbags, which are simple yet feminine, but made versatile so that they can keep up with the lifestyle of the rising women professionals.

Crafted in the hills of Tuscany, their leather is sourced from Italy – which when transformed into a handbag, looks and feel soft and subtle, structured yet lightweight, but durable enough and finished with a pebbled look.

If you are a male working professional, then, you will know, that just how hard it is to find a good briefcase that ticks all of the boxes.

That became a problem as Daniel Scott, the founder of the brand Daniel’s soon noticed. If you plan to opt for a good leather briefcase, then, you have to be ready to empty at least a part of your bank account or you have to satisfy with a nylon briefcase, that not only looks cheap but will also make you look like you are either a sales guy or an IT technician.

The solution came in the form of the brand ‘Daniel’s’ who created a line of well-designed yet fully functional leather briefcases from leather which is sourced from a tannery, based in Brazil, and that is not only great to look at but are also quite affordable.

Their brand is strictly focused on the online-only platform, and hence, cutting the risk of unnecessary expenses and mark-ups and able to sell directly to the masses.

Nisolo is a lifestyle brand that focuses on leather goods, mainly shoes. Though they deal in accessories, leather shoes are what they are best known for.

When it comes to producing leather goods, Nisolo sources the leather from Peru and Mexico and only from those tanneries who believe in the ethical treatment of the animals with the implementation of eco-friendly waste disposal systems.

One of the best things about the Nisolo brand is that the workers working under them are paid fairly and work under healthy and safe conditions. What’s more – for every shoe sold, it will donate an amount to the forest conservation efforts in the Amazon basin.

A leather accessories brand, BellRoy focuses their attention on accessories such as men and women wallets, bags, pouches, travel and work accessories, coupled with phone cases and key covers.

The USP of this brand is that all of their products follow a slim pattern, followed by a very few layers of leather which give way for better positioning of your accessories including cards. Sourcing their leather from the best tanneries around the world, they have recognized pretty early in their work to remain responsible towards the environment and hence, strive to do the same through their products.

Founded by Justin Schneider, Wolf & Shepherd is a luxury leather brand whose focus is on high-performance footwear.

Crafted from full-grain leathers, the concept behind the brand is simple – to provide quality footwear to suit the busy lifestyle of today's men at an affordable rate.

The USP of this brand is that while providing exquisite craftsmanship with high-quality, their leather shoes provide athletic comfort, not found in any market.

Sourcing their leather from the home of leather ‘Italy’ itself, their shoes are crafted by artisans of Porto, Portugal, and then, the finishing touch is added with luxurious Parisian waxes and completed with a patented running shoe technology that’s manufactured as well as developed in the U.S.

Buckle & Seam is a leather brand that specializes in handbags for both men and women. No matter who you are and what type of bag you are looking for, their wide range of styles is sure to convince you.

Having sourced their leather from Pakistan, all of their products are crafted by the local artisans in the country. One of their USPs is that no matter what type of bag you opt for, you will find a lining inside each bag and that too – of a diverse and colourful background, and if you want, you can also personalize the bag by choosing the lining of your choice; what’s more – you can even choose to engrave your initials on the buckle of the bag.

Since their business is strictly online-only, they have been able to cut out the middleman and hence, they are able to donate three percent of their revenues towards covering the cost of schooling, to the salaries of the teachers and the students’ tuition.

Co-founded by Maria Gangemi, and hence the brand name, M.Gemi is a luxury leather brand focusing on footwear for the modern man and woman.

The brand was inspired by the co-founder’s frequent trips to Italy during her childhood. The best part about this brand is they work directly with the local artisans who have been honing their craft since generations with their leather being sourced from Italy itself.

Under ‘M.Gemi’, you can go for leather as well as suede footwear for both men and women. And by the way, unlike other brands, they offer limited quantities of brand new styles every Monday because in their words ‘they would like to start the week on the right foot’!!

Founded by Karla and Shilpa, the brand Cuyana is a lifestyle brand, made to come to life by these two women.

Created with a vision to provide a global design house, Cuyana focuses on women-centric products ranging from leather goods to dresses and shoes. Having sourced their leather from Turkey, Italy, and the U.S, each and every one of their products is crafted with integrity from the highest quality of materials selected from around the world.

That being said, the brand ‘Cuyana’ has also made it their mission to empower women and thus, the ‘Lean Closet Movement’ was born, in which the victims of abuse were given a new chance at life by partnering with H.E.A.R.T.

Like its name, the Thursday Boot Company is a lifestyle brand with a special focus on leather shoes and accessories.

Having a strong sense of commitment by providing clean and timeless designs, this brand lets their quality products do the talking with no external branding of the company’s name. Having sourced their leather from the U.S. only, all of their products are designed and developed in-house, having drawing inspiration from around the world, and letting them introduce three collections of premium materials – Horween Leather, Thursday Chrome and WeatherSafe Suede.

As of now, they are a small company and hence, their focus is on men and women’ shoes and accessories including bags, belts, and many others, but plan to introduce more in the near future.

Refined. Elegant. Sophistication.

These are the words that come to mind when it comes to leather goods.

Since the yesteryear, leather has been used by humans, long before the fashion industry even appeared. No matter what, leather will always add a touch of elegance and quality to any design – after all, leather will always be preferred over plastic or even, fabric, for that matter.

Isn’t it amazing that one can communicate so many things with just his choice? Genuine leather – neither will they crack nor peel, but will only get better and better with age, and despite that, they will still be able to garner appreciation.

When it comes to leather, you should remember that it is extremely durable, and more so, it is high quality.

Usually, the leather manufacturers try their best to make the most out of the leather by treating it in a way that makes them durable as well as resistant. Yes, leather goods sure are expensive, but you can be sure that they will last a few years and will still look good as new.

Unlike other materials, leather is resistant to fire and dry abrasion, and they can also repel any attacks from dust mites and fungal growth. By the way, it’s also dust and lint-free, and that means, leather will look and feel great even if you don’t treat them in a special way, but that’s not recommended, of course!

Speaking of durability, you should also do well to remember that the leather is timeless – leather goods are always in style, and when adopted by a person, it shows their steady nature and portrays them as someone who values strong foundations.

Perhaps, it is for this reason that it is being said that ‘when it comes to leather and if it’s not durable, then, there’s no point in being fashionable’.

Do you know that leather is also quite flexible? With all the talks going on about them being durable and lasting for a long time, one would think that leather is similar to rock or wood – but that’s obviously not the case.

As time goes on, leather becomes more and more flexible, but rest assured that they will still keep their shape and strength. That’s why, you shouldn’t worry if the leather goods that you have bought seem a bit stiff at the beginning – though, at a later time, they will begin to soften. After all, that’s one of the features of leather – getting flexible at a later stage while still being able to keep up with the owner’s lifestyle.

Because leather is a natural occurrence, no chemical is needed to make it, and thus, there’s no pollution of the environment.

Yes, though leather is treated chemically, it doesn’t even come close to the number of chemicals that are being used when producing synthetic goods. So, you see, owning leather goods is just a way for you to be looking after your environment – but in a stylish way.

Don’t just flock over to leather goods when you see them – because after all, the market today is full of horror stories – of cracked leather, stitches coming undone, rusty hardware and so on.

Does that mean that you should avoid leather goods? Definitely not – though you should take note of a few things before you decide to splurge on leather goods.

When you are opting for leather goods, the very first thing that you should look out for is to check whether it’s made of full-grain leather – that’s because full-grain leather is the top-quality leather that looks great even after years of use.

It is only the leathers of top quality that achieve a weathered and sheeny look as they go through the ageing process – and remember, with heavily treated or second-grade leather, you won’t get that weathered and sheeny look. In short – the higher the quality of leather, the better the weathered look.

Speaking of top-quality leather, do avoid leather bags that are made of bonded leather – that’s because the bonded leather actually scraps pieces of leather that have been reworked with chemicals and plastics into a second-grade leather. This type of leather doesn’t age well nor do they have distinct ‘leather-y’ smell. Beware as this type of leather – you are going to find them in many stores which have been promoted as authentic – their prices will come low, but they are not worth the money.

Not all leather goods have the same tanning process.

Usually, there are two processes of tanning – chrome tanning and vegetable tanning. In chrome tanning, the process involves the use of chromium and other harsh chemicals, resulting in cheap leather goods and sadly, these type of leather good dominates the industry of today.

The other process is the vegetable tanning – a process in which natural materials are used, such as tree bark. This process is usually longer as it includes a multitude of steps including pre-tanning the cowhides and re-hydrating them, which takes several weeks. It is for this reason that the vegetable tanned leather goods tend to be stiffer and thicker at the beginning but going soft as they age.

Leather goods made of vegetable tanned leather are quite superior to their chromium-tanned counterparts – not only in character but also in durability and holding ability.

Did you know that the best and top-quality leather goods come from the most durable leathers? Just take a look – and you can’t help but admire the handiwork, after all, they are pure professional works of art.

In order to select those admirable leather goods, you have to take note of two things – first, is the selection of the leather and second, is the way of stitching – which needs to be precise.

The ideal leather goods’ will be those who can hold a certain weight and can be moved around at ease without weakening them. It is for this reason that full-grain leather is preferred as they make for the most durable leather goods’.

As for the stitching, you should take note of how the stitching is on the leather goods’ – are they straight and barely noticeable? Are there any loose threads? Look out for the same consistency in the interiors too.

It is advised that before you decide to buy any leather goods, you should inspect the product thoroughly and go through the minute details to check out the quality of the product. Take special note of the handles, buckles, metallic rings, locks and zippers (of which the metal ones works best rather than plastic ones).

Of course, if you plan to shop online for leather goods, do try to zoom in on the photos so as to capture the individual parts.