MAHI Leather Personalised Bag

I've always wanted a personalised leather bag specially when it became a trend among fashion bloggers the likes of Aimee Song and Betty Autier who got their own personalised leather goods from brands like Louis Vuitton. I wanted something similar that wouldn't break the bank because, come of, it's not like I can afford a Louis Vuitton bag at the moment, let a lone a personalised one. So when a PR from MAHI reached out to me for a collaboration to review one of their products, I was thrilled with the idea. This is me imagining myself as one of those top bloggers getting the personalised stuff for free, ha! But jokes aside.

If you haven't heard of MAHI, it's basically a leather goods company that emphasises on beautifully crafted, handmade, high quality leather goods, for a fair price. It also focuses in being a responsible e-commerce business by providing fair wage and safe working environement to its employees along with supporting UK-based charity Frank Water that helps give access to water for people in India who do not have access to clean water. I really liked the values of the company which make me comfortable in working with them.

MAHI produces a wide range of leather goods from bags and electronic accessories to homeware goods. As a style enthusiast, of course I was drawn towards the bags, specifically the travel and hand bags. Initially, I wanted to pick one of the duffel bags which thought might be useful for whenever I travel but on second thoughts, I realise that I prefer bringing a rolling luggage even as a carry on so a duffel bag may not be so useful after all. So I settled for a classic bucket bag. Thankfully I did because I've been using it quite fondly as of late because of how roomy and functional it is.

The classic bucket bag comes in brown leather too, but knowing my style and what would go with most of the items in my closet, I opted for black. And of course, as you'd know it, I got it personalised with my initials. Most of MAHI products can be personalised with up to 5 letters of your own choice of thread colour. I would have spelled my name "CARLA" but on second thought, it would have been too much, non?

Now my thoughts, on the bag.

Like I said, I like that it's spacious and I can fit in everything that I need for those long days that I have a lot in the agenda i.e. run errands, shoot, workout, etc. It was gloomy on this particular day when we shot these photos and I wanted to be sure I had a change of shoes because I didn't want my yeezy's getting soaked in case it rained so I used this bag to hold a change of sneakers, a compact camera, and my daily essentials like wallet, phone, etc. If you can imagine fitting a pair of sneakers in this bag with everything else, you'd know that it IS spacious. So that one of the things I liked about it.

Another thing is that the leather is authentic. How could I tell? Because when I unpackaged it, it reeked of that distinct scent that you'd only get from real leather when it's been boxed for a long time. Like something old and mouldy but not quite. And you know how real leather can last for ages if given the right care. So yes, this bag is something of a staple, investment piece that I now have.

I can't say much regarding the hardware but overall, I do think that this bag is such a great quality which I'm sure is the same for most if not all of MAHI's leather products so if you're interested in getting some personalised leather goods that will last for ages, then check out MAHI's website. My other picks include this classic black saddle bag, and the Columbus duffel bag.

_________

Photos by Pierre Elma