Hello everyone, and welcome to another of my reviews. In this article, I’ll be reviewing a number of leather goods from local accessories brand Oxhide.
All the items I’ll be reviewing are available for purchase on The Shiok Shop. Let’s see if they are any good.
1) Oxhide Passport Leather Wallet – $44.10
First up is the passport leather wallet.
With travel routes opening up, many Singaporeans are finally travelling worldwide, including me. I recently went on a 10-day European holiday, and brought the Passport Wallet along with me.
The wallet was very functional. Not only did it have a large slot for your passport, but it also features an additional compartment for cash and tickets, with five card slots. I found the compartments sufficient during my overseas trip – it really was quite a handy travel wallet.
The brand also states that the passport wallet is made from full-grain leather, so it should patina beautifully over time. For those uninitiated with leather, leather generally comes in three different quality tiers – genuine leather, top-grain leather, and full-grain leather, in ascending order of quality.
As a whole, I really enjoyed using the Passport Leather Wallet, especially whilst I was travelling. It looks slick, feels well-made, and was eminently functional in storing my travel essentials. Available for just $44 on The Shiok Shop, it’s one of the most affordable full-grain leather passport wallets out there.
2) Oxhide Black Cardholder with Coin Pouch – $49.50
Next is the black cardholder with coin pouch.
Small wallets are in vogue – gone are the days of the bulky wallet. Those looking for a sleeker offering will find the black cardholder with coin pouch right up their alley.
The cardholder wallet is made from top-grain leather, which will still patina beautifully over time. It’s soft and supple to the touch, with the natural grains of the leather clearly visible. It also features double-fold stitching, making it more robust than alternatives at this price point.
Despite its small size, the cardholder wallet packs decent storage options. For one, it possesses two cash slots for bills. It also has three card slots, two additional pockets for small items (keys, Airtag, etc), and a coin pouch. In other words, it pretty much functions as a full-fledged wallet, unless you’re someone who carries a ton of cards.
I should also highlight that the coin pouch zipper is from YKK, so zipping action was buttery smooth and I never faced any issues with it. Overall, it’s a great mini wallet that won’t cause an uncomfortable/unsightly bulge in your pants pockets, and won’t put a hole through the pocket either. It’s available on The Shiok Shop for just $49.50.
3) Oxhide Full Grain Bifold Wallet – $53
If you do carry a ton of cards, then the Oxhide full-grain bifold wallet will do the trick.
As its name suggests, the wallet is crafted from full-grain leather, so it will patina nicely over time. In this brown colourway, the patina will be more obvious than the abovementioned black passport wallet. The stitching is also reinforced, so the wallet should last you a long time.
There are a total of 10 card slots, two cash compartments, and an ID card slot. In other words, it’s great for those with a lot of cards to carry around.
There’s even a pair of sim card pockets, making it viable as a travel wallet. It’s a nifty touch that I appreciated.
All in all, the Oxhide Full-grain Bifold is perfect for those who are looking for a quality leather wallet with a ton of card slots, yet without breaking the bank. It’s available on The Shiok Shop for S$53, making it one of the cheapest full-grain leather bifold wallets in the local market.
4) Oxhide Brown Pebble Leather Bag – $206
Moving on to the larger leather accessories, the Oxhide brown pebble leather bag was one that certainly impressed me greatly.
Essentially a briefcase, the bag is crafted fully from top-grain leather that will patina over time. The natural grains of the leather is clearly visible, giving the briefcase a premium feel. The leather feels supple and premium to the touch, and the bag comes across as well-built in general.
The briefcase is slim and has a sleek, minimalist look. Its only frontal feature is a zippered compartment, which I personally used to store my COVID essentials (mask, hand sanitiser, tissue, wet wipes, etc) for easy access.
The zippers unfortunately aren’t from YKK, so the zipping action doesn’t feel as smooth as on the wallets previously.
However, the rest of the briefcase punches above its price point. For one, the handles are bolted onto the bag (as opposed to stitched), which should result in better durability.
There’s also another zippered compartment at the back, which I used to store more important items (phone, wallet, power bank, earphones, etc).
The briefcase features a dedicated padded laptop compartment, making it a bona fide office bag. I found it large enough to fit my Microsoft Surface Pro, so 15 or even 16-inch laptops should fit. I like that there’s an additional velcro flap – with leather accenting – to secure the laptop in place.
There are also smaller compartments available – a large pocket, a smaller pocket, and two pen pockets – for organisational purposes. Once again, the compartments feature leather trimmings, and I personally found them useful during my usage of the bag.
There’s even a leather strap included, which comes in handy when the briefcase gets too heavy to carry by hand.
I absolutely loved the Oxhide brown pebble leather bag. At just ~S$200, it’s amazing value for a top-grain leather briefcase – it might just be the cheapest in the market. It also looks good, and is eminently practical as a daily office briefcase. It’s available for just $206 on The Shiok Shop.
5) Oxhide Full-grain Leather Backpack – $296
If briefcases are too unwieldy for you, then consider a backpack instead.
As its name suggest, the full-grain leather backpack is crafted out of lovely full-grain leather that will (you guessed it) patina beautifully over time. The leather feels, for the lack of a better word, shiok to the touch – one can tell it’s good quality leather.
The backpack has a rustic, vintage aesthetic that looks great when paired with the right clothes. It’s a bag that will probably appeal more to creatives (like myself), or to someone who’s looking for a way to subtly differentiate themselves from their peers.
Quality is evident throughout the bag. Firstly, the stitching is neat and tidy, without any fraying or loose threads visible.
The backpack also features brass zippers, which will – like the bag – patina over time. The reinforces the vintage aesthetic of the backpack nicely.
To enhance durability, the handle of the bag features cross-stitching – a nice touch.
The back of the backpack is fashioned entirely of leather. It looks good, though without the usual mesh carrying the backpack can feel a tad hot at times, especially in Singapore’s weather.
There’s also a back zippered compartment, which I used to store my valuables.
There are also pockets on both sides, which I mainly used to store my COVID essentials and a small bottle of water.
Like the rest of the backpack, the straps are made entirely from leather. Once again, there’s no padding. The boon is that it looks great, but the bane is a lack of comfort and support especially when the backpack is heavy.
Like the zippers, the strap loops are made from brass and will patina alongside the bag.
And like the briefcase, the backpack also comes with a dedicated laptop compartment – padded for added protection – that should fit laptops up to 15/16 inches. It’s also fastened with a full leather velcro strap, which is a nice touch.
There’s also a zippered compartment – with a YKK brass zipper – and two pockets for storage flexibility.
In case you still need more space, there’s a front zippered compartment that’s actually rather large – you can store a bevvy of items (spare clothes for the gym, towel, etc) with ease.
I quite like the Oxhide full-grain leather backpack. It’s crafted from top quality full-grain leather, has a lovely vintage look, and features multiple compartments that enhance its practicality. Although it costs more than the Arden Teal Sevilla backpack I reviewed previously, I believe it looks significantly better. It’s also one of the cheapest full-grain leather backpacks around. It’s available on The Shiok Shop for just $296.
6) Oxhide Leather Duffel Bag – $323
Last but not least, Oxhide also sells duffel bags.
The leather duffel bag is crafted from what Oxhide calls “vintage Buffalo leather”. I’m not sure if it’s top-grain or full-grain, but I’ve used it for 1-2 months and I did notice some slight patina (see photo above) developing. It feels good to the touch, though perhaps not as smooth and supple as the backpack.
Like the briefcase, the handles are bolted on for greater durability. And like the backpack, the duffle bag features brass accents that will patina alongside the bag.
In terms of compartments, the duffle bag actually has a rather large capacity. For one, it has a moderately-sized front slot compartment for quick access to your most important items (phone, wallet, power bank, etc).
The main compartment is rather spacious as well – it’s perfect for a weekend getaway to a neighbouring country, or perhaps just a trip to the gym after work.
In addition, there are two equally sized pockets to aid organisation.
There’s also a zippered compartment on the inside, which you can use to store your valuables (passport, flight ticket, etc).
Finally, there’s even another zippered compartment at the back for more storage capacity.
Like the briefcase, the duffel also comes with a leather sling. As I usually fill the duffel bag to the brim, it gets quite heavy, and I found myself using the sling most of the time.
I enjoyed the Oxhide leather duffel bag. It’s more expensive than its Arden Teal counterpart, but it is bigger and features a larger capacity. I’m not entirely sure if the $100 difference is justified – the Bogota Duffel I reviewed from Arden Teal looks good as well – but it’s certainly a worthy contender, especially if you appreciate its rustic aesthetic. It’s available on The Shiok Shop for $323.
Conclusion – so Oxhide Leather’s accessories “shiok” or not?
I’ve always enjoyed Oxhide’s products – I think most of their products provide pretty good value for money. True to the name, the best feature of their products is the leather quality, as well as the level of workmanship. If you’re looking for affordable, quality leather goods, Oxhide’s products are generally great options, especially if you appreciate the vintage aesthetic of their accessories.
All the 6 items reviewed in this article can be purchased on The Shiok Store. The Shiok Store serves as a curation of my favourite products from the brand, and I truly believe that all the items reviewed in this article are some of the best products that Oxhide offers. However, if you’re interested in any of Oxhide’s other offerings, you still can use the promo code “WAHSOSHIOK-SHIOK” for 10% off Oxhide’s website. The brand also offers monogramming services (see example above), making its products very viable gifting options (gift wrapping is available as well).
View Oxhide on The Shiok Store here.
P.S Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wah so Shiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.P.P.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
