Cravar: The Indonesian Brand Perfecting The Non-Girly Leather Bag

I have this weird blog (welcome!) where I live in New York City and review leather products from all over the world, including boots, bags, and jackets.

So people are often surprised when they ask me what my favorite leather bag brand is and my answer is the small Indonesian company called Cravar.

Fortunately, I was traveling southeast Asia with my father and we found ourselves in Jakarta, where Cravar is based. I carved out an afternoon to visit their workshop and ask their founder, Yoki Baskara, how he nailed the design of the perfect leather messenger.

Why So Many Good Indonesian Leather Brands?

Stridewise (SW): The average American is unlikely to associate Indonesia with fine quality leather goods, but if you work in this space like I do, you quickly learn that Indonesia is home to some of the most sought after leather boot brands on Earth.

So it’s actually not surprising that some of my favorite bags come from this place. Why does Indonesia have such a good leatherworking game?

Yoki: I can’t speak for others, but for us, when we started in 2013, our dream was to make leather bags that would be accepted and regarded as premium by customers all over the world, not just in Indonesia.

To achieve that, my partner and I did a lot of research, studying leading brands and the design and construction of different bags. We spent close to two years researching everything before launching Cravar.

Our goal from the beginning was to make the best possible product, but we knew that communicating this would be challenging, given that we’re based in Indonesia. As you said, not everyone associates this place with premium leather goods.

So, we launched Cravar through a Kickstarter project, which gave us a platform to reach customers from many countries. From there, word of mouth spread, and we received reviews. Today, we have shipped to 65 countries.

SW: I get that Kickstarter is a great way to publicize a project and showcase good pictures, but you need to maintain that initial momentum. How did you manage that?

Yoki: I think it mainly has to do with consistency: maintaining the level of quality we offer and taking customer feedback seriously is crucial.

For example, the F.C. bag has gone through several iterations based on customer feedback. We maintain good communication with our customers, which is essential for building… not really a community, but ensuring communication and consistency.

Cravar’s Design Philosophy

SW: While you have some twill options, one thing that stands out about Cravar is your focus is on leather bags for men, which are largely casual.

Casual leather bags for men is a challenging niche to win in, because guys are so terrified that even if they like it, someone will say their leather satchel looks like a purse.

But you pulled off this design feat where you designed a bag that is masculine and memorable, yet not ostentatious.

Your bags don’t look like others, but they aren’t overly busy either. Simplicity is key, as guys want simplicity from their bags.

SW: What about your design allows you to stand out in a space where it’s easy to fail?

Yoki: As the designer of all our bags, I’ve tried not to go overboard into being too “manly” or “rugged”. I want them to be casual yet versatile, even semi-formal, with a distinct look that is easily identifiable as a Cravar bag.

There’s a familiarity to our design language that you’ll recognize after you’ve seen our bags a few times. I keep things very simple and leave out everything that’s not useful. We minimize the decorative elements.

Also: you keep saying we make men’s bags, but a third of customers are female! Though they get the smaller bags.

Vegetable Tanned Leather for Bags

SW: What about the leather? I heard this leather is made just for Cravar, what’s special about it.

Yoki: From the beginning, we wanted to use locally sourced leather to ensure our products were as Indonesian as possible.

This includes not only the design and manufacturing but also the materials. I partnered with a friend who owns a tannery, and he has been gracious enough to learn with us.

Even though our orders are still in small batches, he’s been willing to experiment with different tannages, which is something we wouldn’t get from a larger tannery. It’s a partnership where we grew together, starting almost at the same time.

SW: Is your leather vegetable tanned? What is that, and why do you emphasize that you use that in your bags?

Yoki: Yes, our leather is vegetable tanned. Vegetable tanning involves tanning leather using plant extracts. I like vegetable-tanned leather for bags because it ages beautifully: the more you use it, the more beautiful it looks. Compared to chrome-tanned leather, which is softer and perhaps more comfortable for boots, but I find it doesn’t usually develop a proper patina compared to vegetable tanned leather.

But a lot of veg tan leather scratches easily; I’m proud that ours is a good balance of durable and beautiful.

SW: Do you condition this?

Yoki: I condition my leather every two to three months, and it becomes softer over time. I haven’t babied it! I used Obenauf’s Leather Oil for most of this bag’s usage, but now I use a conditioner we make ourselves. (Customs are weirdly complex for a product like our leather oil, so we’re not selling it on the website just yet.)

Cravar’s F.C., the Bestselling Bag

SW: Could you explain the closure system on the F.C. here, the way it folds over at the corners? That’s a really cool element.

Yoki: I hate bags that leave gaps on either side of the flap when they’re closed, leaving the interior exposed to rain — it’s very typical for bags with flap closures. When the bag is not full, the opening widens even more. I think it’s just untidy looking, but it also makes it more vulnerable to rain.

SW: I’ve had the F.C. 15 for a couple of years, and what also stands out to me is you use large pieces of leather wherever possible. Not everyone knows that when you minimize seams it doesn’t just look cleaner, it maximizes durability: fewer seams mean fewer places for the bag to fail or tear.

The Rana Camera Bag

SW: What are some other popular bags that you sell?

Yoki: This is the Rana series in size 15; we have two smaller sizes as well. It may look similar to the F.C., but it has its own design idiosyncrasies. For example, it’s a bit thinner than the F.C., and the flap design is different for added protection.

While the F.C. focuses on maximum capacity, the Rana is designed for organization, making it suitable as a camera bag. Inside, it features removable dividers, allowing for customization based on needs.

The Rana bag has a reason to be in our collection because it offers its own identity and function. As a former photographer, I used my experience to design a camera bag that meets my needs. It’s not a derivative of the F.C., but a unique product with its own purpose.

Cravar’s Leather Backpack

Yoki: We’ve developed a new backpack line that retains the design elements we want from a Cravar bag. It’s more convenient and offers better organization compared to previous models. You can lay it flat to access what you need easily. Based on customer feedback, we’ve raised the laptop slot so it’s not level with the ground, providing extra protection against drops.

Cravar’s Best Bags

The most popular bags include the F.C. messenger, the Rana camera bag, and the Daypack backpack. These guys also sell most of their bags in multiple sizes and in cotton twill versions (with leather twim) that give you a neat way to save money while enjoying these designs. I find cotton bags easier to wear with a leather jacket, which I appreciate — my Dad picked up a cotton twill F.C. himself while we were visiting Yoki!

Cravar might not be as cheap as you’d expect for an Indonesian brand, but that’s because their quality is legitimately high for any country, and when you understand that, you realize they have a solid value proposition.

The leather’s great, the shipping is free, the warranty is lifetime, everything comes in a ton of leathers and sizes for you to choose from, and the designs that are just different enough to be noticeable without being overly complex or ornamental.

Everyone knows how hard it is to make a shoulder bag that a man will wear proudly, but Cravar has certainly pulled it off. Check them out and tell ’em Nick sent ya!