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Brand Scorecard:
★★★★☆
Leather: 4.5
Hardware: 4
Design: 4
Engineering: 4
Craftmanship: 4.5
TOTAL: 4.21
Brand Website: sezane.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BRIEF HISTORY
Sézane, founded by Morgane Sézalory in 2013, is a pioneering French fashion brand that began its journey online. The brand was created with a vision to prioritize customers by offering beautiful creations at fair prices, focusing on quality and sustainability. Sézane is committed to responsible production, ensuring no overproduction, sales, unsold items, or waste. This unique approach has allowed the brand to invest in quality while maintaining affordability. The brand's history is not just about fashion but also about offering a unique experience, which led to the opening of its first "Apartments" and concierge services to enhance customer experience and provide exceptional after-sales support.
Sézane's story is deeply personal to its founder, Morgane Sézalory, who left school at 17 to pursue her passion for creativity and independence. Influenced by her family's strength and her own experiences, including her beloved grandmother's resilience and her siblings' inspiration, Sézalory infused these values into Sézane. The brand's origins also trace back to "Les Composantes," a platform she created in 2008 to showcase vintage selections and her initial creations. Sézalory's rich history and diverse inspirations—from her early years in Kinshasa to her love for various art forms—continue to shape the essence of Sézane, making it a living, unclassifiable, and committed brand.
FIVE PILLARS OF A GOOD LEATHERCRAFT
CRITERIA | 5 (Very Strong) | 4 (Strong) | 3 (Mixed) | 2 (Limited) | 1 (Not Present) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leather | A perfect balance of art and fashion of leather tanning. Rare and artisanal hides from exceptional tanneries | Good leathers for the application in hand. Coming from environmentally conscious tanneries | Average corrected leathers that do NOT require high-quality raw hides. Less info on the source of the leather | Low-quality leather choice with significantly less information about the sourcing practice. | Inferior sketchy leather derivates or non-leather materials. |
Hardware | Top of the line Stainless Steel or Brass Hardware with Highest Caliber Coatings | Common alloy or brass hardware with high-quality plating and thin protection that will last a good while. | Alloy hardware with acceptable coating. Lifetime may be impacted due to the coating of the hardware. | Serious flaws in the making and coating of the low-grade alloy hardware that is harmful to humans and the planet. | Non-metal, plastic, and non-durable hardware that is harmful to humans and the planet. |
Design | A professional design language that is unique and consistent with the brand | A creative take on a classical design concept | Minimal changes to common styles | Almost copy of common/famous designs. Dysfunctional elements. | Problematic design elements affect the functionality, durability, and aesthetics of the product. |
Engineering | Highly organized, sophisticated shape and form engineering with high-quality materials inside the craft. | Clean and quality inner support materials and structure | Acceptable cleanliness of inner work with medium-quality support materials | Messy inside with low-grade support elements | Complete lack of inner structure and craftsmanship. |
Craftsmanship | Expert craftsmanship with flawless, hand or machine stitching, demonstrating advanced skills. No visible errors; edge paint is avoided using superior techniques. | Perfect machine stitching with excellent edge finishing. Immaculate inside and out, with no visible flaws, showing a commitment to quality. | Good overall stitching and alignment with minor flaws. Acceptable edge finishing, with fairly clean interior and exterior. | Noticeable misalignment and sloppy workmanship. Multiple errors affect visual appeal, with untidy interior work. | Poor craftsmanship with missed stitches, visible errors, and uncleaned residues. Major issues that may affect durability. |
Overall Score | An incredible value for money that I have no problem recommending to anyone | Very good example of great quality for a great price without any risk to try | A considerable offer with a relatively high price. Make your choice at your own discretion | Consider it well within your own criterion as the quality/price is not a decision point I can recommend here | Stay away! |
READING MY ASSESSMENT SCORES
SCORE | NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
5 | Strong Yes | ⭐ This grade is given to brands that present great value for the price they charge you for their product. I have no problem confidently recommending you check their products. These are the brands I reach out to ask if they can give me an affiliate link so your purchases using my link can support my content efforts. |
4 | Yes | 👍 This indicates that the brand meets all my expectations from the perspective of price and information they have about their products. I would happily buy their products at this level of quality/value score. This is the only other category of brands I request an affiliate link to support this channel to improve my Leathertainment content. |
3 | Mixed | ➖ There are areas that I found less than desirable for the quality/price performance I appreciate personally. Some high-end luxury brands may fall under this category given I am looking for tangible value in the products, ignoring the intangible brand prestige they may offer as a value to their customers. I am not a customer of these brands and I wouldn’t recommend them to my audience if they do NOT value brand logos. |
2 | No | 👎 This indicates that the product and the brand failed my expectations in significant ways and I won’t recommend them to anyone. |
1 | Strong No | ❌ This is the lowest assessment and indicates fundamental issues in the product and/or the brand. I would say look somewhere else. |
LEATHERVERSE MATRIX
The Leatherverse Brand Matrix visually compares leather brands based on sophistication and pricing, helping consumers understand their market positioning.
Legend
Vertical Axis: Ranges from simple artisan crafts to exclusive, master-crafted items.
Horizontal Axis: Covers pricing from low (no brand premium) to high (perceived luxury), with 2x multipliers for basic products and up to 15x for heavily marketed luxury items.
Diagonal Line: Represents the balance between price and performance. Brands on the line offer good value, those below suggest poor
AUDIENCE & CUSTOMER'S PERSPECTIVE
Based on these criteria, how would you rate Sezane as a brand?
How would you rate Sezane as a brand?
5
4
3
2
PRODUCTS REVIEWED
Spending Wisely: The Value of the Sezane Large Romeo Bag
Sezane's Large Romeo Bag
Watch the videos here:
Buying a high-quality leather bag is an investment, and it’s natural to question if the price you paid was worth it. I recently bought the Large Romeo bag from Sézane, a Paris-based brand that has gained popularity in the past decade. Is this bag worth spending your hard-earned dollars on? Let’s find out!
DISCLAIMER: This is an UNSPONSORED review. I purchased all of these products myself and am not affiliated with the brand mentioned in any way. All statements and expressions made about the products are solely the opinion of Tanner Leatherstein and are not meant to be conclusive or definitive. The purpose of this video is for informational and educational purposes only. We recommend that as a consumer, you exercise your due diligence and research on the products before adopting the opinion of Tanner Leatherstein.
First Impressions: A Nod to Vintage Coach Bags
The Large Romeo bag immediately reminded me of the classic, vintage Coach bags I used to admire. It has a timeless appeal with its natural leather grain and soft hand feel. The design is simple yet elegant, featuring minimal hardware and edge paint. Initially, I didn't spot any glaring issues, although I did notice some cracking on the edge paint of the handles on the bag sent by one of my followers who had used it for some time for our LBI (Leather Bureau of Investigation) segment.
Craftsmanship Test: Inspecting the Details
Opening the bag, I was pleased to see clean workmanship inside. The support materials were solid, and the overall construction was above average. One detail that stood out was the binded edges. This old-school technique requires more work but results in a much more durable finish. Apart from a few stray threads that needed trimming, the craftsmanship was impressive and felt distinctly European.
Acetone Test: Revealing the True Beauty of the Leather
To test the quality of the leather, I conducted the acetone test. This involves applying acetone to a small area of the leather to see how it reacts. The acetone removed a very thin layer of the semi-aniline finish, revealing a beautiful, gorgeous grain underneath. This was a good sign that the leather was of high quality, and I fell in love with it even more.
Vegetable-Tanned Leather: A Closer Look
Sézane's website claimed that the bag was made from vegetable-tanned leather, and I wanted to verify this. I conducted a burn test, which involves burning a small piece of the leather. The leather burned like wood, leaving a stiff residue with all-black charcoal and no green hues. This indicated that there was no chrome involvement, confirming that the leather was indeed vegetable-tanned. This type of tanning process is more environmentally friendly and produces durable, high-quality leather.
Hardware Test: Assessing the Metal Components
Next, I examined the hardware of the bag. The metal parts seemed to be made from a soft alloy with very thin plating. While they weren’t the best quality, they were functional and on the budget end of the spectrum. Considering the overall price of the bag, this was a reasonable trade-off.
Leather Estimate: Breaking Down the Costs
To understand the value of the bag, I estimated the cost of the materials and assembly. The bag uses about 8 square feet of vegetable-tanned leather, which I estimate to cost around $60. Adding another $80 for assembly and hardware in Portugal, the total cost to produce the bag would be approximately $140.
With a price tag of $365, the cost is about 2.5x the estimated production cost. In the world of high-quality leather goods, this markup is quite reasonable. Luxury brands often have much higher markups, sometimes exceeding 10 times the production cost.
Conclusion: Was It Worth the Money?
After thoroughly inspecting the Large Romeo bag from Sézane, I am confident that I did not waste my money. The bag is well-crafted with high-quality leather, and the design is timeless. Despite the minor issue with the edge paint on the handles and the budget-friendly hardware, the overall value of the bag is excellent.
In my opinion, spending $365 on this leather bag was a great deal. If you’re looking for a stylish, durable, and well-made leather bag, the Large Romeo bag from Sézane is definitely worth considering.
Scorecard
TANNER APPROVED!
★★★★☆ - 4.29
Criteria | Score | Results |
|---|---|---|
Leather | 4.5 | Good leathers for the application in hand. Coming from environmentally conscious tanneries |
Hardware | 4 | Common alloy or brass hardware with high-quality plating and thin protection that will last a good while. |
Design | 4 | A creative take on a classical design concept |
Engineering | 4 | Clean and quality inner support materials and structure |
Craftsmanship | 4.5 | Fair Value for quality with a brand premium: 5 to 6 x multiplier pricing. |
OVERALL SCORE | 4.21 | Very good example of great quality for a great price without any risk to try |
PRICE / COST MULTIPLIER | 5x | Fair Value for quality with a brand premium. |
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