Wrapped In Leather Review

Where is it?

43 King Street West

Manchester

M3 2PW

www.wrappedinleather.co.uk   

History:

 The store has been at its King Street West location for 30 years. It is the largest stockist in the UK of The Bridge classic Italian leather and the owners believe you won’t find a more extensive selection anywhere else.

From the outside it’s easy to overlook this place. Its plain Lucida Calligraphy sign wouldn’t look out of place at the top end of Oldham Street, and it reminds me of one of those second-hand leather shops you sometimes find in budget shopping arcades.

But you’d be wrong to assume this is the case with Wrapped in Leather. Pop inside and you’ll find there’s not a biker jacket in sight.

Window shopping

What does it sell?

Handbags, rucksacks, makeup bags, shoulder bags, wash bags, briefcases, conference folders, luggage, diaries, organisers, and pretty much anything else that’s made of leather.

The stock is made up mostly of Italian, German and French brands, but the biggest presence is easily taken up by The Bridge, and The Bridge has a big sell.

Even if you don’t end up buying anything, it’s worth popping in just to enjoy a quick whiff.

‘Essence and soul. Appearance and substance. Fashion and design. Style unfettered by place and time. A sense of belonging. Expressing a feeling, a transmigration of form and content projected onto a symbolic dimension.’

Or in other words, really nice leather bags and stuff.

 All The Bridge products are handmade in Florence, from what they call full hide leather (leather from one side to the other). This means the more you use them the better they look – so four or five years down the line, according to store manager Mike Hilton, “it looks better than brand new.”

The King Street West store

Who shops there?

The top end luggage and larger bags are pricey, so anybody who has got £700 to shell out on a suitcase will feel right at home. However, the most popular items are the briefcases, although they do sell lots of the smaller items such as wallets and purses. 

Future:

They’ve been doing the same thing for last 30 years at Wrapped in Leather, and they won’t be changing anytime soon.

Verdict:

Perhaps the best indicator of the quality of product that’s sold at this store is the way the smell hits you as you enter.

You can smell the leather as soon as you walk in; you just don’t get that with most designer stores. Mike Hilton said: “The only problem is once you’ve been in here a couple of hours you can’t smell it anymore, which is a shame.”

Ok, so it’s a bit pricey, but you don’t have to spend £650.

Briefcases start at £100 and the average price for a very good one is about £350. Taking into account that these items won’t even peak in terms of quality for another 4-5 years, they can be an expensive but shrewd investment.

The staff when I visited were friendly and more than happy to chat about the history behind the brands and products. And even if you don’t end up buying anything, it’s worth popping in just to enjoy a quick whiff.

Follow David on Twitter @daymccourt

In store