I've wanted a leather satchel for a long time. I don't know quite how I came across them, but once I saw them I knew that I wanted one in my life. In the UK, there are three main satchel companies that manufacture what I call "the modern satchel"; Zatchels, The Cambridge Satchel Company and The Leather Satchel Company. Out of those three, the most popular and most heard-about by far is The Cambridge Satchel Company, so naturally I looked there first to find a colour and style that I liked. In time, I ended up coming across one on ASOS; it was a matte oxblood, and it was £116. By the time I managed to decide on the bag and save up the money for it however, it was gone and I was pretty devastated. Cue The Leather Satchel Company - who not only managed to mend my broken heart (Ok, that's perhaps a little dramatic) but showed me another satchel that well and truly won me over: The 12.5" oxblood patent leather satchel. It was perfect; I wanted a medium size, as I was only going to be using it for a few items for work and for going out and about, so the 12.5" was just right. I wasn't sure about the patent leather at first, but from the moment I opened the package and saw my satchel for the first time, I knew that I'd made the right decision. The oxblood shade was a no-brainer; it's more of an autumn/winter shade, but it has been my favourite colour for some time and I couldn't tear my eyes away from it, no matter how hard I tried! As a final incentive, the satchel was in the sale, reduced to £97.50 from £141. So, I placed an order via their website, and 10 days later, it was mine.


The Leather Satchel Company began in 1966 and is a family owned business, run by a group of highly skilled, British master craftsmen who make every satchel by hand. They promise "Quality Craftsmanship" and "Superior Customer Service", and that is exactly what I got from beginning to end. After choosing the satchel that I wanted, I decided that I wanted my initials blind embossed, to truly make it mine. I thought that because I was getting a custom satchel, that it would take slightly longer to process my order but it actually ended up arriving bang on time - their estimation is 10-14 days for craft and 24 hours for delivery. The courier that The Leather Satchel Company use is APC, who delivered my satchel on time and with no hassle. I should mention that this was also during the Christmas holiday period, where according to the website there was a skeleton staff running proceedings, so I was very impressed with the speed of my order. It arrived very well packaged, with a cellophane wrap and dust bag, the latter of which you can see above. The dust bag is quite a bit too big for my satchel, but I think they must have one size for all their satchels so this isn't a concern in the slightest. Along with the bag, came a lovely envelope bearing a drawing of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, with a cute message on the front. When I opened it, it contained a personally addressed letter and details about my five year craftmanship guarantee, which I have now filled out (You have to do it online within 14 days). When I took the satchel out of its packaging, I was blown away by the quality of the bag. The stitching is impeccable, the leather smooth to the touch and the silver metalwork was finished beautifully. Everything I came to expect and more from a British company - with a stamped seal of authenticity on the inside.


Being made purely out of leather, when I first started to use the bag I noticed how stiff the leather was. The front pocket barely opened at all, and there seemed to be little give in the main compartment. However, over the last couple of weeks I have really noticed the leather softening, and now I can fit in everything I need with ease. As you can see from the image above, I can fit quite a decent amount comfortably into the satchel - and there was room for a little bit more. My phone fits perfectly into the front pocket, along with something like a pack of tissues or a small bunch of keys, with everything else slotting nicely into the main compartment. The straps slide into the buckles easily, but are a bit more fiddly to undo, as you can imagine. I now tend to leave the buckles half-done up; that is, I don't pass the strap through the final bar of the buckle. The traditional long strap is the perfect length for me, but can be adjusted via a buckle if needs be. I find the strap to be very comfortable, even without a shoulder pad. As of yet, I have noticed no wear on the bag. I did think, that with it being patent, that the leather would scratch easily but I haven't managed to do so yet - and I'm not super careful with this bag. The only thing that I came across - and it was on the satchel when it arrived - was a slightly dull patch on the front left of the main panel. However, this is barely noticeable and is, I presume, a result of it being an animal skin - no leather is completely perfect. I will update in six months time to show you the wear and tear (if any); I'll be interested to see if the patent shine dulls at all, or whether it develops any wear on the corners.

I am very, very impressed with the quality and design of my satchel. It is built to last and I foresee me using it for many years to come - I think that it will serve me very well. If you are looking to purchase a genuine leather satchel, I wholeheartedly recommend that you buy from The Leather Satchel Company, and support the British craftsmen who put so much of their time and skill into creating these. I will definitely be purchasing another satchel from this company in the future.

The 12.5" Oxblood Patent Leather Satchel is currently on sale for £97.50 direct from The Leather Satchel Company website, with free delivery.