Is your designer handbag really worth the price? This leather expert put popular brands to the test

We all love a bit of designer gear, don't we? Whether it's a new outfit, watch, or piece of jewellery, there's nothing like feeling glamorous and sophisticated while wearing or using something that has a luxurious name attached to it.

But as anyone familiar with designer brands will tell you, that sophistication and exclusivity also come with quite a price tag. Sure, it might look fabulous on the outside, but is it really worth your hard-earned cash?



Designer handbags are more popular than ever. Celebrities and everyday people alike love to show off the latest ‘it’ bag from luxury brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes. But with prices ranging anywhere from $2000 to $10,000 (and sometimes even more), some people don’t think these items are worth it.

One man who can help you figure out whether a handbag is worth the splurge is Tanner Leatherstein – otherwise known as tanner.leatherstein – on TikTok.


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Tanner destroys designer bags for a living. Credit: TannerLeatherstein.com

Tanner is a leather expert from Dallas, Texas. He has amassed quite the following after clips of him reviewing designer handbags, and evaluating if they’re worth the hefty price tag, spread across social media.



But that alone wasn’t enough to make him go viral. The reason why he became an internet sensation was because of the unorthodox way he reviewed said luxury brands: he destroys them!


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Tanner films himself destroying a Chanel bag. Credit: tanner.leatherstein on TikTok

Yes, you read that right. Tanner ‘deconstructs’ luxury handbags, both inside and out. In a recent interview, Tanner shared that he liked looking at the ‘leather and the craftsmanship’ in the accessories he inspects. In the picture above, he’s 'inspecting' a Chanel wallet worth $1,200.



To do this, he uses two main methods: The acetone test and the ash test. For the former method, he applies acetone (or nail polish remover) onto a small patch of leather to see what kind of material is underneath.

The ash test involves burning small strips of leather over an open flame in order to analyse its ash residue. This helps Tanner determine what tanning methodology was used.

These tests give him valuable insights into how high quality – or low quality – each bag actually is. So far, his analysis has led him to some interesting conclusions about popular brands.

Then, the interviewer put Tanner on the spot and asked him which brand he stood by the most. He responded that Bottega Veneta, the luxurious Italian fashion house, has earned his respect.


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Tanner destroys a Bottega Veneta Arco Mini to check its craftsmanship. Credit: tanner.leatherstein on TikTok

He claims that handbags made by Bottega Veneta are 'artisan leather that you can sense with your touch.’ Tanner also praised the designs, saying that each piece is unique and detail-oriented.

The Bottega Veneta Arco Mini, worth a staggering $2,500, gets ‘deconstructed’ here:



As for brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel? Tanner mentioned that their leather selection was ‘nothing impressive’, and hence not worth the price tag.

‘I’m all about leather and those big brands go for standardisation which means heavy finished. Once you utilise heavy finishes on leather, you cut the connections of that sensory experience,’ he said.

In the interview, Tanner said he keeps the materials from the handbags he’s deconstructed, and plans to recreate them into a piece he can auction off for charity.


Key Takeaways

  • Tanner Leatherstein, a leather expert, gives his opinion on the best and worst designer handbag brands.
  • He reviews the items by destroying and burning them to evaluate their quality.
  • Tanner looks at the "leather and craftsmanship" in the luxury pieces and uses the acetone and ash tests to determine a bag's quality.
  • Tanner says that brands like Bottega Veneta and Coach have impressed him with their leather selections, while he has been unimpressed with Louis Vuitton and Chanel.
  • Tanner keeps all the materials from the bags he’s destroyed and he has many ideas on how to use them in the future - by creating a piece he can auction off for charity or a piece of artwork.
Well, dear members, there you go! Do you also like designer items or do you prefer understated accessories? Do you think it’s a waste to destroy expensive handbags? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments!
 
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I won't pay thousands for a bag or wallet.
The most I've paid is $400 .
I love soft leather bags and to be honest one of my favourite brand is Colarado and I only buy them when they are 50 % off.

I also love Coach and Oroton brands

I'm sceptical of social media reviewers and I'm wondering if he maybe getting paid by Bottega Veneta !

I don't think it's a waste pulling the bags apart as he will reconstruct and auction off. Hopefully not under the original brand as once they are pulled apart they will lose its quality
 
I now only purchase leather bags and wallets. When my kids were small, cheap bags were better as the kids would destroy them. Now that they are all adults, I spend more on good quality items.
My Tote is Colorado, my crossbody bag is Valenti and my purse is Oran. The purse has lasted 10 years and still going strong.
 
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I really am not impressed with designer names, brands or products. My criteria for buying something is will it do the job I want it for at a price I'm prepared to pay.
I have one bag, it's really a wallet with a long strap. It's Australian made, leather and from memory it cost me $125. It holds my cards, phone, a small amount of cash and that's all. I've had it in excess of 10 years and it's still going strong. I gave up on big bags as I ended up carrying all manner of rubbish around with me and it was the dumping ground for everything no-one else wanted to carry.
 
is this worth anything given that while there are cashed up rich seniors out there for sure from comments here most are pensioners struggling to make ends meet, so who'd buy luxury brand name items for 1000 dollars or more here?

Must be a lack of news worthy social media posts to steal from to repost this week
 
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The most I have ever paid for a handbag was $300 and only then because my boss gave me a $300 gift voucher for a store that I needed to "use it or lose it" and there was nothing else in the store that I felt I had a use for. Otherwise I would never pay that much for a bag.
 
Most of these expensive designer things need to have the brand name prominent. I doubt if I would pick them up in an op shop for $2 if I saw them without a brand.
I picked up a Balenciaga city bag in red leather from an op shop for $10. It's a classic goatskin leather and worth at least $1000. Their later bags made from sheep leather aren't considered as fine.
I use a Colorado bag every day. The one I have now is eight years old and cost $130 on sale.
I like quality but not high price tags.
 
In my mind no handbag is worth thousands of dollars, no matter who made it. I've got better things to do with my money.
Anyone who pays that sort of money for a handbag, I mean a handbag for heavens sake, must have rocks in their head.
Just my opinion of course.
I have never seen the sense in paying a high price for the sake of a name, the price you pay is not for more quality material or workmanship it is just for the name tag. That said I paid $100.00 for a wallet and matching key ring set over 20 years ago the company no longer exists but the quality of the leather is outstanding, it is used daily and was def worth the price. If I recall rightly it was the last item that I ever purchased from Myer's.
 
This is why I go to Bali. There is a special shop in Kuta which just sells bags, all for $10. I have a Gucci wallet, large, is leather inside and is very well made, but its not a Gucci. Everytime I go I look in this shop if I need some new bags. My daughter bought me a Mimco bag and its large and beautiful. I really do not like the designs on some of the expensive brands. Heaven forbid if you forgot your bag somewhere, especially if it costs $4,000, but I guess if you can afford it you can buy more! I do like Colorado leather, I have one for over 20 years and still looks good.
 
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This is why I go to Bali. There is a special shop in Kuta which just sells bags, all for $10. I have a Gucci wallet, large, is leather inside and is very well made, but its not a Gucci. Everytime I go I look in this shop if I need some new bags. My daughter bought me a Mimco bag and its large and beautiful. I really do not like the designs on some of the expensive brands. Heaven forbid if you forgot your bag somewhere, especially if it costs $4,000, but I guess if you can afford it you can buy more! I do like Colorado leather, I have one for over 20 years and still looks good.
I had a leather bag made to my design in Bali and it cost me $100 but it looks like new 10 years later.......beautiful leather
 
A good manner for getting our attention is destroying a very expensive designer bag. Sometimes on the Customs programmes we see imitation types of these bags being detected, complete with badges/labels, so how does the untrained eye know the difference?

I believe the test is a good idea but l would like to see tests being done so l can see what he is saying.
 
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This is why I go to Bali. There is a special shop in Kuta which just sells bags, all for $10. I have a Gucci wallet, large, is leather inside and is very well made, but its not a Gucci. Everytime I go I look in this shop if I need some new bags. My daughter bought me a Mimco bag and its large and beautiful. I really do not like the designs on some of the expensive brands. Heaven forbid if you forgot your bag somewhere, especially if it costs $4,000, but I guess if you can afford it you can buy more! I do like Colorado leather, I have one for over 20 years and still looks good.
Hi, I'm in Bali at the moment would love to know the where'abouts
of this shop.
Thank you,
 
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