From people who adore expensive items and speak fluently in brand names to those who think it’s a waste of money, luxury goods and the brands that create them seem to be on almost everyone’s minds. From overpriced Chanel beauty calendars to famous Manolo Blahnik blue satin pumps, why do so many people want to have something that expensive? Is it always about quality? Or the name? Does the cost of an item always guarantee that it’s of good quality? To find that out, TikTok user @tanner.leatherstein dedicated his account to sharing useful information about various high-priced leather goods by cutting purses, bags, wallets, belts, and other accessories open to show how they were actually made and what their actual price is. One of his videos that shows how he “dissected” a pink Chanel wallet received more than 2M views and explained whether it’s really worth buying it.
As tempting as they look, what stops us from buying luxury goods is their price
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
Tanner Leatherstein, known for his educational videos on TikTok where he talks about leather goods made by various well-known brands, is also a businessman who has his own brand called Pegai. His content draws a lot of attention not only for its simply explained and useful information but also because he takes various original brand items and cuts them into the smallest pieces to see how they were made and how much material was used to make one bag or a purse. Many viewers on TikTok didn’t hide their sadness over seeing some very beautifully made items being destroyed. But it turns out to be worth it after the man puts all the scraps together and provides his followers with an actual estimate of how much it costs to make such an item.
Despite us often thinking that high price means high quality, this TikTok user questions it by cutting open various luxury items
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
What is surprising is that very often, the price that was paid for a certain good is too high for its actual value. For example, the Chanel pink wallet, according to Tanner, despite being “a very well constructed” piece, is worth $50 plus $10 for the accessories attached to it. What didn’t sit well with the specialist is the way they used calfskin, which is a natural and rich-looking material by itself, but they “ruined” it by applying a very heavy finish that made the wallet look cheap. Having this in mind, there is no point in using calfskin as a person won’t be able to appreciate it because of the heavy finish that makes the whole item look “plastic”. This becomes crucial when you find out that the wallet in question costs $1200, which then is paid mostly because of the brand name that sells it.
Tanner Leatherstein became known for his educational TikTok videos where he rips open various leather bags, purses, wallets, and belts that are made from leather to see if they'reworth the money
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
To understand how this craftsmanship works, the man runs some “tests” that help to understand how the leather is changed during the process. One of the things frequently done by the TikTok creator is putting acid on a piece of leather and rubbing or scrubbing it to see how much finish was used on the actual material. This is what protects the leather from scratches and marks but also makes it look more plastic. Another test that is seen in Tanner’s videos is called an “ash test” where he burns a bit of material to see what type of tanning was used.
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
Bored Panda contacted the TikTok creator to find out more about his work. The man shared that he’s surprised to see his content go viral because when he started doing this, his mission was “to help people understand leather better through visual content”, revealing that he “didn’t see big success” until he started working on the ‘Worth it?’ concept. The creator added: “to be honest, I was having fun on my TikTok account that had less than 2k followers. I saw it got big attention and people started to request other brands and products for review and I kept doing what they asked for. It seems like it is informative and entertaining so they keep going viral. I am happy to do it since I was trying for this (I call it leathertainment) and finally stumbled upon it.”
The man proceeds to explain how the item was made and how much money it actual costs to make it
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
How did Tanner come up with the idea to create such content in the fist place? The man revealed that 7 years ago, when he got a job as a consultant, he was looking for a leather briefcase but couldn’t find one that would suit his taste. Already then he knew what he was looking for as his family owned a tannery and he was familiar with leather tanning. “I found overly standardized leathers sold at astronomical prices and yet people seemed to think it is great quality due to the impression those brands create through marketing. That made me realize that there was a lack of understanding about leather in the general public and high luxury brands seemed to benefit from this without doing anything educational,” explained the specialist.
One of the most popular videos was the one where the man dissected a pink Chanel wallet
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
This situation inspired the man to quit his job and start his own business to be able to provide people with authentic and artisan leather products. But the brand idea didn’t overshadow his wish to teach people more about the leather and how they can assess whether what they’re purchasing is worth their money. This wish came to life when he started creating videos where he ripped various luxury goods into pieces: “5 years in the works, I thought of getting a LV bag for myself last year to dissect and make a video about its cost and structure to show people how much of the price was the product and how much was for the status. So people who don't care about the status may have a better way of assessing that decision.”
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
A lot of users understand that behind those ruined bags, wallets, and belts stands big sums of money. The TikTok creator revealed that he buys most of these bags himself as it’s also important for him to go through the whole customer journey. What was interesting to find out is that he also has a program called “Leather Bureau of Investigation” (LBI), explaining how the program works: “My audience sends one of their bags to exchange with a PEGAI product so I can make content using their used brand name bags. Those two ways are the only way I get my products to inspect so far.”
By educating people about leather, the TikTok creator teaches them to separate quality from status
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
To those who are thinking about investing their money in some high-quality product, Tanner shares some advice on how to do it safely, without paying for something that you’ll later regret having. First, he advises thinking about what you’re actually looking for. Do you want a leather bag and you don’t really care about the label that’s inside? “There are new lean, online business models that make as high quality, if not better, bags than those luxury brands and they price it much affordably because their business model is designed in a way to deliver people leather crafts, not the status,” explained the creator, naming a few examples such as Polene and Mlouye, not excluding the possibility to find some fine artisans on Etsy.
A few tests that the specialist runs on an item to see if it's made from valuable material
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
Image credits: tanner.leatherstein
“But if you want to get a brand name bag with the status (nothing wrong with it. Status is a need as well) then I would check for leathers that are looking more authentic and less standard. Try to see some variations in the grain patterns, that have a nice (non-plasticy) touch and look. Those are usually signs of better leather. Of course you will pay a premium but at least get better leather when doing it,” shared Tanner, also adding a few names that have stood the test of time, those being Bottega Veneta and Loewe. “It is a sensory experience, look for leathers that you will enjoy through your senses, touch, look and smell. You don't need to know anything, good leather will speak to you through your senses,” concluded the creator.
You can watch the full video down below!
A lot of people online became interested in this type of content that for many became very useful
