Controversy has been brewing around Singapore-based leather-bag maker Aupen, whose bags have been seen slung across the arms of US celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Olivia Rodrigo, among others.

US-based YouTuber and content creator Tanner Leatherstein — who's been described by The New York Times as "the man who destroys $3,000 leather handbags on the internet" — has recently made it his mission to investigate claims that Aupen's bags are "made in Singapore".

On Sept 7, Tanner, whose real name is Volkan Yilmaz, published a video on YouTube titled 'Inside the fake luxury hype: What Aupen doesn't want you to know?'.

In the video, which got more than 75,000 views, Tanner stated that his curiosity about Aupen was piqued after noticing the brand all over social media, indicating that it was impressive for a company that was only launched in 2022.

Aupen doesn't have any physical retail stores either, selling its line of bags purely from its website. Media reports had also indicated that the Singapore label has studios in Brooklyn, New York and Singapore.

A shortened version of Tanner's clip was reposted on his TikTok account on Oct 4, where it went viral with more than 120,000 views as of the time of writing.

Tanner, who himself is a leather-goods designer with his own line of products, stated that two things about the Singapore-based company had caught his attention.

The first was the secrecy over the anonymous "design collective" behind the company. Secondly, he noticed that Aupen had announced on May 10 that they were "bidding goodbye" as their design team was going on a break.

This caused a frenzy among fans, some of whom rushed to buy their bags for fear of missing out if the company were to close. This made Tanner "confident" that these moves were part of some "PR (public relations) mind games" by a "mastermind with significant investment" who could be pushing the brand on social media.

What was also interesting to Tanner was Aupen's claims that its bags were "made in Singapore", noting that the bag he'd purchased was retailing on the site "only for $340". 

"It sounded too good to be true, so I got even more excited," Tanner said. 

What he also found strange was that the bag he'd purchased off Aupen's website did not have any "made in Singapore" markings, despite the company's seemingly proud proclamations on its pages. 

Tanner went on to investigate those claims, going as far as to speak to Aupen's PR team and hiring a private investigator for two months to dive into the company's operations.

He stated that he wanted to find out more about the "leather crafting industry in Singapore" due to the fact that he'd never seen a made-in-Singapore bag before.

During his dialogue with Aupen's PR team who'd reached out to him following his purchase, they'd affirmed that Aupen had a "single manufacturing partner in Singapore with 10 artisans" working in the country, said Tanner.

The PR team also stated in response to Tanner's queries that its apparent popularity among celebrities had taken them by surprise and was "completely organic" (read: not sponsored).

They also shared with Tanner that they would be moving part of their team to France following a collaboration with French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a move that was reported by local media in July.

Despite speaking to an employee at its office while undercover, the private investigator was not able to verify if Aupen indeed had a manufacturing facility in Singapore.

Not quite satisfied with the "shallow" findings by the private investigator, Tanner did his own digging.

He claims to have discovered that the images of a craftsman on Aupen's website bore striking similarities to the images used on the website of another company, Crockohdial, a luxury leather goods maker based in Singapore.

A staff member at Crockohdial told Tanner over the phone that they'd had dealings with Aupen in the past, but not anymore.

What Tanner found, too, was that based on the product shipment tracking records, the bag had originated from a facility in Guangdong, China, which Tanner noted is known to have a "large leather manufacturing cluster".

On Aupen's website, Tanner also discovered that under the site's FAQ section on "Where will my order be shipped from", the site stated that it has "strategically located warehouses across USA, Canada, UK, China and Singapore".

Tanner pointed out that with just 10 artisans in one facility, "this would give you 500 to 600 bags a month maximum", which would make it "a lot of warehouses around the globe to maintain".

"This whole thing doesn't add up from a cost standpoint based on the information I have gathered in this investigation," said Tanner, noting that if it were made in Singapore, it would cost as much or if not more than it would be if it were made in France or Italy.

"There's a very smoky operation going on here," said Tanner, eventually stating that his efforts still "weren't enough to prove either Singapore or China as the manufacturing place".

"But all the clues I discovered heightened my suspicions towards a not-so-truthful manufacturing description," said Tanner.

Aupen's website refresh

But it appears Aupen might have taken note of the hoopla surrounding Tanner's review.

In an updated TikTok video published the next day on Oct 5, Tanner highlighted that parts of Aupen's website have changed, with the section stating that its bags are made in Singapore removed.

In addition, the site was later taken offline for a period of time following his video and locked under password protection.

As of today (Oct 9), there is no mention of the bag being manufactured in Singapore or the like on Aupen's website.

The query "Where will my order be shipped from" under the FAQs also appears to have been removed.

In fact, the About Us section now reads:

"Founded by Nicholas Tan and based in Singapore, Aupen is renowned for its asymmetrical designs that celebrate the beauty of life's imperfections. The brand focuses on minimalist, authentic designs, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship without compromise."

A search online by AsiaOne did not yield any information on Nicholas or his role in Aupen.

In an April 2023 interview with Vogue Singapore, Aupen named Skye Tan as its creative director and head of product design. Skye is described as a Singaporean fashion photographer based in New York City.

No issues with quality of products

While Tanner may have issues over the brand's transparency on where their bags are made, he was full of praise for the quality of the bags themselves.

He stated that when he received his bag, a re-edition of Aupen's Fearless bag in leather (which is no longer available on the current site), he "loved the bag at first glance".

"It felt really good, and the design and craftsmanship were impressive," he noted in the video.

Taking apart the bag piece by piece as he's known to do, he commented that "thoughtful engineering" had gone into making it and materials were "chosen wisely and designed wisely".

Applying some acetone to remove the finish off of the bag, he noted that Aupen had used a "beautiful, beautiful calfskin" and that the leather was "superb".

"I love the design, structure and the masterful craftsmanship," Tanner remarked.

"In summary, I love the bag I dissected for the price I paid. But I absolutely hated the gimmicky PR strategies coming from a brand that claims authenticity in its name."

Tanner reiterated in his TikTok update that the bag was "great value" for the price paid. He added: "Hopefully they will be more upfront about where their products are really made."

Cost of made-in-Singapore bag would be 'in the thousands' 

Over in the comments section of his videos, many Singaporeans seemed doubtful as well that the bags are made in Singapore as originally claimed.

In fact, more than a handful stated that they'd never heard of the brand.

One person wrote: "First time I'm finding out Singapore has leather manufacturing."

Another stated that if the bag were made in Singapore, the cost of it would be "in the thousands", to which Tanner expressed agreement.

In spite of the controversy, others also praised the quality of the brand's bags.

Yet, another offered a different opinion on the issue, proffering that it didn't matter where the bag was made.

AsiaOne has reached out to Aupen for more information.

ALSO READ: Just a 'conflict'? Local brand Beyond The Vines faces backlash for 'tone-deaf' remarks about Israel-Hamas war

candicecai@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.