Finally, a Bucket Bag That Isn’t Boring

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I’ll be the first one to say that the whole “minimal” approach to fashion bores the crap out of me, especially when it comes to bags. Somewhere in between the Mansur Gavriel bucket bag boom of 2014 and now, I’ve lost complete interest in the same old clean lines, muted colors, and detail-less fancy leather that a million different brands seemingly churn out on the regular.

But! There's one young accessories brand that might just have me on board with its new collection of bags that are definitely minimal, but far from boring. That would be Linjer, the Kickstarter-propelled leather goods brand based between Florence, Italy, and Oslo, Norway, touting “minimalist bags without the luxury markup.”

The label, which also makes men’s and women’s watches as well as small leather goods, caused quite the frenzy when it teased its fall bag collection this spring. More than 2,500 people have already placed pre-orders, leading the brand to project it’ll do $1 million in sales by the end of September.

The collection includes three different silhouettes: a bucket bag, a tote, and a crossbody. All styles are receiving attention, but the bucket bag — dubbed the Tulip — is by far the biggest attraction, whether you're measuring in internet buzz or actual dollars. The Tulip takes on that classic, slouchy silhouette with a fun, refreshing twist: Made with a full grain vegetable-tanned Italian leather, the bag is lined with beautifully contrasting linen that peeks out through the open leather panels.

It's a thoughtful, albeit simple, detail that, along with the contrasting pop of color on the inside leather, gives the old shape a totally new feel. Finished with a drawstring closure, a roomy main compartment, and a separate zipper compartment that'll fit your phone, keys, and wallet, this bag is fit to take you through your day-to-day.

“We wanted to make a more playful bag that was just really eye-catching, something that people would really enjoy looking at,” says Jennifer Chong, co-founder of Linjer.

Early discoverers of the style were able to score the Tulip for $125 less than the retail price during pre-order, but you can still save $25 by ordering now before the first batch starts shipping and prices hit full-retail value.

The fancy bucket style sits in good company among the rest of Linjer’s new fall collection, which also includes the Mini, a vegetable-tanned leather crossbody style coming in two colors, and the Canvas Tote ($145), a more casual take on the brand’s popular Soft Tote. Like the Tulip, if you pre-order the Mini now, you’ll save money; it will cost you $285 instead of the full retail price of $340.

You can check out the full collection, and all of its different color variations, on Linjer's site right now. If you like what you see, we suggest you make moves while you can on those pre-order prices. (Or at least before the bags inevitably sell out.)