Meet Borlino, a luxury brand that uses the best Italian leather in all of their products, from travel bags, duffels, purses, backpacks and messengers to travel accessories and beautifully handcrafted journals.
We were fortunate enough to be sent a few products to test out from the folks at Borlino this holiday season, from both their bag collection and their gorgeous leather journals. Let’s take a look at some of the items they offer for both men and women.
A beautiful hand-crafted leather duffel bag in Onyx / Walnut constructed of the finest Italian Buffalo and Vachetta leathers. This travel bag is perfect for carry-on or weekend getaways.
Balzano Italian Leather Shopping Tote
This beautiful black soft Italian leather tote from Borlino has a fun lava red trim along the straps, which is one of the unique features that jumped off the page when I first discovered the brand.
This lightweight tote (awesome for travelers) is handmade in their studio in Italy from the very softest and finest calf leathers. Here’s why we love this bag.
First, the bag is so neutral and flexible that it can be used for an elegant work event or even for every day use. It is also very lightweight. This tote has a large expandable interior compartment and a side zippered interior deep pocket for smaller secure items such as phones and wallets.
The expandable center strap allows the tote to expand to carry larger items, which is great when you have a weekend getaway in mind and want to toss in a book or your iPad. This fabulous luxury piece comes in Lava Red, Lava Red with Luna accents, Capri Blue, Luna White, Pompeii Grey and Onyx Black with Lava Red accents.
Inside, there’s plenty of room as noted above and we love that there’s a magnetic button that keeps your purse shot. Nothing frustrates me more than a purse that takes forever to fasten, buckle up or zip.
They use high quality Italian Calf Leathers and its interior lining is made from a Polyblend Fabric.
Vachetta Messenger: Walnut
Hand-crafted of the finest Italian, vegetable-tanned Vachetta leather, the Borlino messenger bag has a roomy interior with a zippered pocket, two multifunction pockets, and a built-in compartment for your iPad. An outside zippered compartment allows for easy access on the go.
The lining is a combination of Pig skin and fabric and there’s an interior zipped up compartment for more valuable items like your laptop. There are two interior deep, easy-access leather pockets, one interior tablet compartment, an exterior zippered compartment (we applaud this for travelers) and a hidden magnetic closure.
We think this is a great choice for business travel, especially with its leather, adjustable, padded shoulder strap and an additional canvas, adjustable shoulder strap included. The length is around 16.25 inches and the height is around 3.75″ — in other words, ample size for a business trip or every day use.
We love the richness of the Italian leather, one of the best we’ve seen in our exploration of leather messenger bags.
Note: the folks at Borlino are cycling through some new models so not all the messenger bag models you see on their current site may be available in 2018 and beyond, however they are adding new pieces all the time, many of which are perfect for both personal and business travel.
Vachetta Italian Leather Handmade Journal: Terra
First of all, we love love love their handmade leather journals. I’m a huge fan of old world style bags and journals, which is one of the things that really drew me to Borlino.
Below, the Vachetta Italian Leather handmade Terra journal is one of their handmade Italian leather journals with Italian paper. The paper is actually stitched into place by hand, contains 120 pages and is sized at 9 inches by 5.5 inches, perfect for travel notes and journaling.
The leather is so soft and so rich, you’ll want one in several colors. And, what’s great is that they offer a few choices such as a lighter tan, a deep elegant brown and black (Onyx).
Vachetta Italian Leather Handmade Snap-Close Journal – Terra
The Terra is is another one of their Italian leather journals with Italian paper. Like the previous one we just detailed, the paper is stitched into place by hand. It also contains 120 pages but the size is just a little smaller at 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches. Some of their journals can be personalized and this one is on the list, making it a great option for a holiday gift or frankly, for any occasion.
Behind the Scenes at Borlino
We did a little digging because we wanted to know more about this elegant luxury brand. They tell me that Borlino‘s design process is thoughtful, meticulous, and never rushed. They actually design the exterior of the product starting with pencil sketches — how cool is that?
Many of the finer details cannot be seen in the final product such as gluing threads and letting the glue briefly set before being hand-tied, and then having it glued again to the surface. Thereafter, they still apply additional taping to ensure stitching will never ever come loose. There’s a lot of hand stitching throughout the process as well.
If you’ve purchased cheaper leather journals or bags, may have experienced loose stitching after using them for a short period of time. Borlino also takes pride in their leather quality.
Unlike pigment-printed leathers that many luxury leather companies use, when vegetable-tanned leather is scratched you simply rub the leather and the coloring comes right back; the scuff will disappear before your eyes. I remember this from buying stuff directly in Italy — this reality is often the case with high quality leather goods I buy there but not the case with cheaper leather items purchased in the states. Borlino offers a lifetime guarantee as well.
Their prices are reasonable for the quality, so check out their site for more information and for photos of their latest offerings, from travel bags, briefcases and accessories to purses, messenger bags, accessories and journals.
Borlino’s Commitment to Giving Back
One other thing to note. They support and help Love 146 which is an organization whose mission is to end child sex slavery and exploitation. Head on over to Borlino’s website for more about this partnership and to purchase any of their items. Two thumbs up! We love this brand.
Also, be sure to check out our Lifestyle Products section, as well as our Gift Guides and reviews of fashion/style brands.
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Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
