SINGAPORE: A YouTuber who specializes in taking apart and reviewing luxury leather items recently took on a bag from Aupen, a Singapore and Brooklyn-based brand whose bags have been seen on the arms of the rich and famous, including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Olivia Rodrigo.
Aupen offers an accessible price point, unlike other brands.
Volkan Yilmaz, more popularly known as Tanner Leatherstein, became famous for his “Rip My Bag Challenge” where he destroys bags worth as much as US$3,000 (S$3,920) with scissors or switchblade to show their quality and craftsmanship, or lack thereof.
For him, two-year-old Aupen— a brand that’s online-only— was somewhat of a mystery, and he discussed all the questions about the bag he ordered and the company behind it in a video called “Inside the fake luxury hype: What Aupen doesn’t want you to know?”
Mr Volkan looked into the brand, with the help of a private investigator, over a period of two months.
He wondered about the brand describing itself as an “anonymous design collective”, adding that who is really behind the brand would remain unknown.
He ordered a handbag model called “Fearless” for US$340 (S$445), surprised at its price, especially since he noted that Singapore is known for high living costs.
The content creator, whose aim is to “help people understand and experience leather better”, liked the bag at first glance.
“The leather felt really good and the design and craftsmanship were impressive,” he said. Taking the bag apart with a blade, he also pointed out its “thoughtful engineering and structure” as well as its wisely chosen material and design.
Mr Volkan called it the work of a professional master craftsman and had high praise even for the bag’s leather, saying he “loved” it.
However, he also noted that the bag had no indication as to whether or not it was made in Singapore or any other country, even though the product page on the brand site showed “Made in Singapore.”
He then looked into the address given on Aupen’s site and even reverse-searched the image purportedly of the company’s workshop. He also traced the shipping label on the box he received, and a check on the UPS site showed it was picked up in Guangdong, China.
Having visited Guangdong before, Mr Volkan was aware that the price point of the Aupen bag he bought tracked, and added that the company’s site lists China among its warehouse locations.
If the bag had been made in Singapore, it would cost as much as it would if made in France or Italy, he added, based on the salaries of craftsmen in these countries. This is probably why it does not say where the bag was made, he said.
As the video ended, he said he “absolutely loved” the Aupen bag he ripped apart but “absolutely hated the gimmicky PR strategies coming from a brand that claims authenticity in its name”.
A few days after posting his video, Mr Volkan put up an update.
@tanner.leatherstein Did my investigation push Aupen to update their website? UPDATE: Yesterday, while recording an update, I discovered their website was locked in passport-protected mode! Since then, a new version went live, with some big changes: the founder’s name is there, but no mention of Singapore as their manufacturing location. I’m excited to see this new level of transparency from Aupen, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on their progress (especially since I loved the bag I got from them). 🕵️♂️ #aupen #investigation #leathertok #bagtok #bagreview #tannerleatherstein
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Aupen for comments. /TISG