I’ve Been Trying to Sell People on Leather Goods for Years…
The craftsmanship, the feel, the way a high-quality leather bag just gets better in quality with time. There’s truly nothing more classic or more satisfying than a leather bag you can have for life.
I’ve been (admittedly) obsessing over leather goods for years and have sort of made it my personal mission to collect and review the best brands. It’s not like back in the day when you could trust the local department store to have high-quality, expert-made stuff. Nowadays, anyone can outsource sh**ty production labor and sell some bags online.
No, if you’re going to buy leather, you’ve got to buy quality. It’s the whole point. So, in the interest of spreading the “good leather” word, I scoured the market to find the two top brands for quality and craftsmanship: Latico Leathers and Portland Leather Goods.
Editor’s Note: Latico Leathers loved our article and is offering our readers 20% off their infamous Bianca Tote through this special link
I decided to put them head-to-head and see which brand actually delivers the best leather tote bag.
Brand Overviews
Latico Leathers: Latico has been in the game since 1984—that’s 40+ years of family-run craftsmanship. Their bags are built with heirloom-quality leather and a focus on thoughtful, functional design. They’ve even won awards (like the 2020 Carlos Falchi Independent Handbag Designer Award) and been featured in publications like Glamour and Refinery29 for their commitment to quality.
Portland Leather Goods: Portland, on the other hand, launched in 2015 as a small Etsy shop and quickly blew up for their affordable, entry-level leather bags. While they’ve gained popularity, their designs and construction still lean towards the “starter bag” category rather than long-term investment pieces.
Can trendy appeal beat decades of expertise and award-winning craftsmanship? I broke it down into four categories to find out: Design & Functionality, Leather Quality, Price, and Comfort & Wearability. Here’s what I learned.
Design and Functionality: Latico Leathers
While both brands have a fairly wide range of products and sizes, I decided to go with the Latico Leathers Bianca Tote ($220 $176 with discount code: BIANCA20) and the Portland Leather Goods Medium Crossbody Tote ($172). Portland’s tote has an open, unstructured interior with no compartments. Simple, but lacks organization for someone like me.
The Latico Bianca Tote, on the other hand, comes with multiple zippered compartments, a built-in wallet organizer, a secure zip-top closure, and a hidden phone pocket. It keeps up with the appeal of modern functionality while maintaining that beautiful simplicity of the leather exterior.
For my money, the versatility of Latico’s design makes the Bianca Tote the perfect bag for date nights, work days, or long weeks of travel. You even get 19 color choices with Latico versus 17 from Portland. I’m gonna have to go with Latico Leathers here.
Leather Quality: Latico Leathers
Both of these brands use high-quality, full-grain leather. They wouldn’t have made the cut for this review if the quality wasn’t there.
Latico, however, is handcrafted in small batches by skilled artisans in South America and India—never mass-produced. According to their website, each bag showcases the natural variations in grain and shading that tell you it’s legit (I can confirm). The eco-friendly, smooth finish has a super refined feel to it right out of the box.
Portland’s bag has a thick, stiff, and raw feel to it. It’s got more of a rugged aesthetic. It’s certainly no cheap knock-off, but I feel like the rougher, unfinished texture of the Portland bag didn’t feel as… luxurious as Latico’s bag did. And isn’t that what we’re here for, a touch of buttery-soft luxury? Latico wins this category.
Price: Portland
The Bianca Tote comes in at $220 (though it’s currently on sale for $176 with code BIANCA20). Portland’s Medium Crossbody tote costs $172, making it just slightly the more budget-friendly option. It’s maybe worth pointing out that it looks like Portland is always running a 25% off sale—so much so that it feels like their prices are artificially inflated before discounting.
Latico’s Bianca Tote is slightly more expensive (admittedly not by much) for a reason, in my view. That extra organization, highest-quality craftsmanship, and bag versatility make it well worth the small bump in price to me.
That said, I’m giving Portland the nod in this category.
Comfort + Wearability: Latico Leathers
How a bag feels when you carry it matters—especially if you’re looking to use it every day. A staple bag is like an extension to your body, it flows with you, not against you. (My husband is rolling his eyes right now.)
Latico’s Bianca Tote comes with two sturdy top handles and a detachable, adjustable crossbody strap, so you can switch between shoulder and crossbody wear. Latico’s straps are wonderfully soft and comfortable, even when carrying heavier loads.
Portland’s Crossbody bag, true to its name, only offers the crossbody, adjustable strap. While it’s lightweight, the thinner strap tended to dig into my shoulder a bit if the bag was packed full. Plus, I really missed the option of the top handles.
With more carrying options and much better comfort, I’m gonna give Latico Leathers the easy win in this category, too.
The Ultimate Verdict: In My View, It’s Latico Leathers by a Landslide.
Portland’s Medium Crossbody Tote is a good entry-level leather bag—simple, rugged, and affordable. But if you’re looking for something more functional, polished, and built to last, Latico’s Bianca Tote is the clear winner.
With superior leather quality, thoughtful interior organization, versatile and comfortable design, and multiple carrying options, Latico’s Bianca Tote has become my absolute go-to whenever I leave the house. It’s worth mentioning they offer free shipping and free returns within 30 days, too.