Hello everyone, and welcome to another Singaporean review! On this “shiok” Saturday, I’m introducing LAVNG’s – a homegrown leather goods label – latest Kickstarter campaign, which at this point of writing has already blown past their initial funding goal.
I’ve previously covered LAVNG’s maiden Kickstarter campaign here, as well as a full-fledged review article here when production models hit the shelves. If you’re interested in the brand, or how the products look like in real life, do read the articles above!
Slim Wallet Eco Leather – $29
Right now, LAVNG is offering their new line of full grain leather wallets for as low as $29 – in comparison, their initial batch of wallets were $89 on Kickstarter! LAVNG shared with me that they have been able to find a new leather supplier, and in so doing bring down the price of the wallet drastically by 2/3.
Described as a “must-have back pocket companion”, LAVNG’s new Slim Leather Wallet allows you to store all your financial needs into a svelte and lightweight package.
The Slim Leather Wallet packs a ton of card compartments, as well as a cash compartment. However, a coin pouch has been excluded in order to retain the slim form factor of the wallet – if you’re used to a coin compartment, this may not be a wallet for you.
Whilst most wallets have vertical card compartments, the LAVNG Slim Leather Wallet actually features horizontal card compartments – the brand states that this is specifically designed to prevent cards from slipping out, which is a common occurrence with horizontal card compartments. Furthermore, the Slim Leather Wallet also comes with RFID protection! For those unfamiliar with the term, RFID protected wallets protects you from RFID skimming, in which thieves can potentially steal your credit card information simply from standing next to you. I’ll be honest – I don’t think it has much practical benefits, as RFID skimming cases are virtually non-existent in Singapore. Nevertheless, a RFID protected wallet is definitely an added assurance. If you can pick up a RFID protected wallet for no additional charge, why not?
Being a leather goods company, LAVNG places high priority on their leather – in fact, they only use full-grain, vegetable tanned leather for most of their products. For those unfamiliar with leather, leather generally comes in three quality tiers – genuine leather, top-grain leather, and full-grain leather, in ascending order of quality. Unlike the genuine leather on most wallets use in this price range (from places like The Wallet Shop), the full-grain leather on the LAVNG Slim Leather Wallet will patina beautifully, gradually darkening over time. Furthermore, the full-grain leather that LAVNG uses comes vegetable tanned, which lends a more natural tone to the leather and should be less abrasive to the skin as compared to regular chrome tanned leather (which are tanned by chemicals). Lastly, the leathers LAVNG uses are premium hides tanned under gold-rated Leather Working Group environmental protocols, so if you’re environmentally conscious, you don’t have to worry!
Overall, the LAVNG Slim Leather Wallet is a terrific value proposition. At just $29, it’s probably the only full-grain leather wallet available at that price. If a coin compartment is not an absolute must, back the Slim Leather Wallet now – it’s probably the most bang-for-buck wallet you will ever buy!
Specifications:
Dimensions: 4.3”W X 3.9”H
Compartments: 1 currency compartment, 6 card slots, 2 receipt compartments
Zip Wallet Eco Leather – $44
For the ladies, there’s the Zip Wallet!
Like the Slim Leather Wallet, the LAVNG Zip Wallet is also crafted from full-grain, vegetable tanned leather, meaning that it will patina beautifully with use. In addition, the Zip wallet uses YKK zippers, which are basically the gold standard when it comes to zippers. No worries about zippers breaking or getting stuck here!
Make no mistake – this is one functional wallet. There are 15 card slots available, as well as slots for keys and cash. In addition, there’s also a leather flap with a snap fastener button to keep your wallet organised!
Last but not least, there’s also a coin compartment! For those who are accustomed to using a coin compartment – thus ruling out the aforementioned Slim Leather Wallet – you can consider the Zip Wallet instead!
All in all, the Zip Wallet is again superb value at just $44. It’s a tad more expensive than the Slim Leather Wallet, but that’s to be expected given its larger dimensions (and thus higher material cost). If the Slim Leather Wallet is all about minimalism and cutting down, the Zip Wallet represents the other end of the spectrum – it has all the space and compartment to store everything that you could ever need.
Specifications:
Dimensions: 7.5”W X 4.1”H X 0.6”D
Compartments: 8 Vertical card pockets and 1 vertical ID card pocket, 6 horizontal card pockets, 1 Full-width zip pocket for key and coins, 3 full width slip pockets for currency and bills, and a Leather flap with snap fastener button to keep your wallet organized
Conclusion
LAVNG has always been a brand that I love due to the high quality of leather – full grain, vegetable tanned, and eco-friendly – they use in their products, and LAVNG’s new Kickstarter collection allows one to own a quality leather product at frankly ridiculously low prices. The fact that LAVNG is a local brand adds icing to an already very enticing cake – score for yourself a great deal, and support a homegrown brand in the process!
LAVNG also has a wide range of other leather products available on their web-store, including leather briefcases! For those interested, LAVNG has kindly offered my readers a discount – simply quote “WAHSOSHIOK” upon checkout to enjoy 10% off all products store-wide!
View LAVNG’s current Kickstarter campaign here.
View LAVNG’s web-store here.
P.S Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wahsoshiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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