Grafea

Grafea is a Manchester based, leather goods company which was created by an aspiring musician, Hari. They represent a high quality brand which oozes timeless chic, whilst still maintaining a young and cool sensibility about them.

The idea came about through Hari being a fashion fanatic like you and I, she'd hunt for vintage bargains in charity shops and decided to replicate old fashioned satchels and rucksacks to spare everyone else the difficulties she faced when looking for vintage wartime school bags.

The bags emulate an old fashioned method of craftsmanship, with time, care and quality invested in each stitch; Something that many fashion companies neglect due to consumption habits pulsating rapidly as we as an industry continue to expand. Grafea prioritises high quality so its goods last a lifetime. The hope is, that with time, each bag will age and tell a new story through its wrinkled leather. A next generation can find it amongst the clutter of a charity shop, just like Hari and the rest of us.

What I like about the brand is that it's been created by someone young, it inspires me to be more ambitious and create something personal to myself...what this is, is yet to be determined, or at least keeps changing. Most of us haven't found that luxury of knowing what we want to do in life or who we want to be and not knowing for sure can be quite daunting. I think it's okay though, by exploring new things, we will eventually find our way. What I do know is that fashion...fashion...that's it, all I know is fashion. That and everything works itself out, so I'm hoping that my life will fall into place too. Whether that's my youthful naivety deluding myself as it often does, or my unusually calm composure, is another thing that is yet to be determined. I'm sure I will learn which it is in the next, more crucial years to come, probably the hard way (aah what a cynic I am). Maybe I should stop hoping and define my path, GAAH I'm too indecisive for that. I'm going to stick to my hypothesis that everything will work itself out because everything happens for a reason. I'm going to sit back, relax and let nature take its course. Ha! Another delusion, I'm the biggest stress head ever, this summer sun has undoubtedly melted and mellowed my brain. 

I discovered this brand in the most random way. Guess who the source of my discovery was? Matty Healy. I know. Surprise, surprise. So, the story goes, when I started my obsession with The 1975, I stalked Matty's old twitter and spotted a very stunning girl who was tweeted by him. As expected, jealously consumed me into browsing her instagram. After a couple of minutes, the envy transformed into appreciation, this girl had style! That's when I spied the white rucksack, gleaming against her bronzed skin. Since then, I followed Grafea who then had 300 followers which has grown into a mere 1.5K (surprising as they sell worldwide). Even though they have been featured in Miss Vogue, Look, I.d and various other mags, they're still quite low key. I'm not sure why they haven't hit mainstream status yet. With all these bloggers who are beginning to take notice, they'll be on everyone's back in no time. Blogger lead everything after all. 

Admittedly, these bags are very pricey, with rucksacks selling at £160. With long lasting leather, I think these bags could be a good investment. Maybe ask for one as a Christmas or birthday present, or mabye...probably both. The seams look very sturdy so will hold lots of things. It's durability makes it so versatile, use it as a school bag, PE bag, sleepover bag, weekend bag, work bag, EVERYTHING, which is why I think it's worth investing in. 

At first I was super reluctant in buying one because I'm currently skint, but I just couldn't resist. I never, ever, ever, ever, everrrrrrrrrrrrr buy anything that's more than £40, that's more Ebony's department. She's crazy for Topshop and Urban Outfitters whilst I stick to H n M, Missguided, and Zara basics. My justification was, "I can always re-sell it if I don't like it, plus, if I buy it now, then I can get more use out of it, anyways, I'll need a new school bag this September and I can use it all year, what the hell, treat yourself ". I'm such a consumption slave. I really don't know why I thought I deserved a treat when I'm already going to Reading and Brown Stock, I really shouldn't have bought one, especially considering I'm skint and jobless. Wow. I feel so guilty. Have to keep reminding myself it's an investment. 

Oh, and I chose red to add to my collection of red bags. I just love red, it really goes with everything and stands out compared to the boring blacks and browns.