TOTEME

Brand Scorecard:

★★★☆☆

Leather: 3.5

Hardware: 3.5

Design: 3

Engineering: 4

Craftsmanship: 4

TOTAL: 3.60

Brand Website: toteme.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Brief History

• Five Pillars of Good Leathercraft

• Reading My Assessment Score

• Leatherverse Matrix

• Audience & Customer's Perspective (Poll)

• Products Reviewed

Belted Tote - Toteme Belted Leather Tote Review: Is It Really Worth €1,000?

First Impressions and Packaging

Design and First Touch

Craftsmanship and Structure

Hardware Quality

Leather Quality and Material Analysis

Cost Breakdown and Price Multiplier

Final Verdict

Scorecard

BRIEF HISTORY

Toteme, founded in 2014 by Swedish duo Elin Kling and Karl Lindman, started in New York before moving to Stockholm in 2016, quickly gaining recognition for its minimalist, timeless “uniform” approach to fashion. Profitable from its early years, the brand expanded globally with boutiques in cities like New York, Shanghai, London, and Los Angeles, and in 2021 secured investment from Altor to fuel further growth. Today, Toteme spans ready-to-wear, bags, shoes, and jewelry, embodying the essence of modern “quiet luxury” and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024 with its first Paris runway show.

FIVE PILLARS OF A GOOD LEATHERCRAFT

READING MY ASSESSMENT SCORES

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 value, and those above offer exceptional value.

AUDIENCE & CUSTOMER'S PERSPECTIVE

How would you rate Toteme as a brand?

How would you rate Toteme as a brand?

• 0%5
• 0%4
• 0%3
• 0%2

See All Results

PRODUCTS REVIEWED

Toteme Belted Leather Tote Review: Is It Really Worth €1,000?

Toteme's Belted Tote

Watch the videos here:

TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

First Impressions and Packaging

When a handbag arrives, the unboxing experience sets the tone for everything that follows. With the Toteme belted leather tote, the very first impression left me skeptical. The bag emerged from a box so oversized that it immediately felt like a psychological trick often seen in high-end luxury fashion. You pay for a small or average-sized item, but the brand delivers it in a large box to give you the illusion of grandeur. In reality, all you are unpacking is air—quite literally in this case. The box was so spacious I could almost fit half my body inside, and all it contained was a soft, oversized tote.

At the time of purchase, this bag cost €1,010. Today, its retail price has climbed to €1,050. For a fairly new brand to command that price point, expectations naturally run high. Yet before I even touched the leather, the marketing theatrics around the packaging had already cast a shadow of doubt.

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.

Design and First Touch

At first glance, the Toteme tote is large, simple, and unassuming. In fact, it appeared larger in person than it had on the website, which could be appealing to some but was unexpected for me. The design itself is clean but uninspired. It leans heavily on minimalism without pushing creative boundaries, resulting in what I would call an average look. On a scale of five, I would give the design a three.

The feel of the leather was another early disappointment. It had a heavy finish and a plasticky surface, lacking the supple, natural character that connoisseurs expect from high-quality hides. It looked and felt more like a mass-market product than a €1,000 luxury tote.

Craftsmanship and Structure

Examining the craftsmanship, I found mixed results. The stitching used a thick thread that gave the bag a slightly crafty aesthetic, but there was visible unevenness that betrayed inconsistency. While the edge paint was applied neatly and the overall assembly was clean, it didn’t reach the level of refinement one expects in this price bracket. For craftsmanship, I could only give it a four out of five.

Structurally, the bag is semi-structured with some reinforcement at the bottom, including a hidden metal bar to provide shape support. These details show that some effort went into ensuring functionality. For structure, I would again rate it a four.

Hardware Quality

Hardware can elevate or diminish a luxury handbag, and in this case, the Toteme tote sits firmly in the middle. The engraving on the metal pieces was clear enough, but the material appeared to be zinc alloy with a simple coating, rather than the sharper, more durable look of stainless steel. For a €1,000 bag, this choice felt like a cost-saving compromise. Hardware at this level deserves better, and I rated it 3.5.

Leather Quality and Material Analysis

To understand the leather more deeply, I tested the finish with acetone, which revealed a heavy coating that scraped off easily. Underneath, I found a buffed grain, confirming the leather is top grain rather than full grain. This explains the plasticky feel—it is leather, yes, but treated in such a way that it loses much of its natural charm.

The positive side is that the finish makes the bag practical. It resists stains, wipes clean, and maintains its appearance with minimal effort. For someone who prioritizes ease of care over tactile satisfaction, this could be a benefit. Still, for leather enthusiasts looking for character and richness, the tote falls short. My rating for the leather was 3.5.

Cost Breakdown and Price Multiplier

From a materials standpoint, producing this bag in Italy would require roughly 12 to 14 square feet of leather, which translates to €60–€70 in raw material costs. Adding hardware, linings, and labor, I estimated the total production cost at around €160. With the retail price at €1,000, Toteme is operating at a price multiplier of just over 5x.

While multipliers between 3x and 5x are considered fair for emerging luxury brands, the leap to 5x is only justifiable when the product delivers exceptional craftsmanship, outstanding materials, or innovative design. Unfortunately, the Toteme tote offers none of those qualities. Instead, what we see is mediocrity across the board.

Final Verdict

In the end, the Toteme belted leather tote left me underwhelmed. The oversized packaging was a gimmick, the leather felt plasticky, the craftsmanship was decent but not remarkable, and the design was far too ordinary for the price tag. For €1,000, I expect a bag that excites me, surprises me, or at least feels luxurious in the hand. This tote delivered none of those things.

That said, if you love the Toteme aesthetic, believe in what the brand represents, or simply resonate with its minimalist message, then perhaps the value lies not in the materials but in the story. For me, however, I would rather see Toteme invest more into leather quality and hardware than into shipping air in giant boxes.

The final impression? Mediocre at best. If you’re spending €1,000 on a tote, there are far better options on the market.

Scorecard

NEUTRAL

★★★☆☆ - 3.60