Cafuné Bags Honest Review

I had seen Cafuné bags on instagram, but it was my first time to inspect them in person some time last year when I was in Hong Kong. Based on the quality and feel of the leather, I had pegged their bags as being entry-level pricepoint bags (maybe around US$169-300). So I was quite shocked to see that their bags were priced in the US$400-650 range, and accessories/small goods (excluding scarves) were priced in the US$220-400 range.

The workmanship was, for lack of a better term, very standard but not special. Its quality falls more or less (well, less) at par with Kate Spade or Michael Kors or Furla, but not quite as clean, at least in the few bags I inspected. Stitches are good enough with some minor deviations and crooked lines here and there (machine-sewn). Hardware is nickel-plated brass and the like (which is standard or should be the minimum for handbags starting at $100 and up, IMHO). Edge finish is clean enough. Zippers are also brass (also standard).

Other colorways of this bag in the bg

 Where I feel the bags lose value is in some of the leather choices. I saw on their site that they source their leather from Italy, but–as my internship in Florence has taught me–Made in Italy doesn’t mean made by Italians; Likewise, a tannery based in Italy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the “Italian Leather” we expect, and it doesn’t necessarily mean high quality anymore (a lot of Chinese tanneries over there these days)–I feel like the leather is very mediocre. Maybe I’m biased and partial to the quality of my precious veg-tan, but I just can’t help but get that cheap, plasticky feel from this type of leather (pretty sure this is not expensive, not that high quality, and most likely chrome-tanned). And, sadly, it’s very common in these au courant “instagram-friendly” seemingly-aesthetic-only brands–I’ve inspected similar poor quality leathers on Danse Lente, Manu Atelier, and Boyy Bags as well. The only positive is that at least it’s not as garbage-looking as Balenciaga (sorry not sorry but I really can’t stand their city bags).

I feel like this plasticky feeling is less obvious with the stamped leathers (like the bags in the background of the photo where you can see a white croc-stamped version). So to make it feel more like it’s worth the price, I’d probably choose one of the stamped or pebbled versions, and not the plain ones.

Details that did not fly with me:

See that yellowish discoloration near the edge? That’s glue they didn’t clean up

Stitches were wobbly in some parts, and I found it messy where they start and stop their stitches. See those clusters of thicker stitching?

I’m not going to comment too much on the design because that aspect of it is a lot more subjective, and if you like how it looks and feel the price is something you’re willing to pay, then go right ahead. I did see on their site a lot of heavily discounted items, so maybe that would be the way to go to get better value. Cafuné is another brand that is trying to do the whole “minimalism” thing that’s very insta-friendly and curated, but sadly I think too many people focus on aesthetic and fail to look closely at the quality.