£50 Amazon bag channels £1k designer version

If you haven’t heard of The Row, it’s a luxury fashion brand founded by twins and former actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It launched in 2006 with the simple idea of creating the perfect T-shirt, and has since become known for quiet luxury. Think minimalist, impeccably made fashion and accessories that avoid loud logos in favour of high-quality basics. It’s also a brand with a seriously hefty price tag, where pieces regularly sell for thousands of pounds. Handbags are some of its most coveted items, but if you’re shopping for one, you’ll need some savings set aside. That’s why I was pretty surprised to stumble across a leather bag on Amazon of all places that looks strikingly similar to The Row’s ever-popular 90s leather shoulder bag — but for £970 less.

The Row’s 90s leather shoulder bag has been around for a while, with a nostalgic silhouette that feels very late 90s and has been spotted on the arms of stars like Kendall Jenner. It has a minimalist curved shape, a slim leather strap and a zip-top opening. The bag comes in an array of colours, including maroon, cream, brown and black. It’s compact, but reviews suggest it can still fit more than you’d expect. The catch, of course, is the price. It retails for upwards of £1k, with the black leather version sold via MyTheresa priced at £1,020.

So you can imagine my excitement when I spotted an Amazon crossbody bag, complete with an adjustable strap, that mirrors the design for just £50.66. The bag usually costs £59.60, but for a limited time it’s on sale in select colours.

Some of the cheapest shades right now are tan and pale pink, discounted to £47.68 and £35.76 respectively.  That said, it’s the black version that really caught my eye thanks to how closely it resembles the designer original.

It has the same 90s-inspired, long, curved, boxy silhouette, accompanied by a silver zip fastener across the top. One nice touch is that, in addition to the shorter strap, it also comes with a longer, extendable strap, allowing it to be worn cross-body.

According to the brand, it’s made from 100% full-grained leather with a sheepskin lining. And despite the very accessible price tag, shoppers have been impressed with the quality. One reviewer wrote: “This bag is absolutely gorgeous. I’m not usually one to buy dupes, but I just couldn’t justify the genuine price tag of £1k+! For the quality of leather and craftsmanship of this bag, I’m blown away. The first day I wore it, I received two compliments from friends. I will definitely be repurchasing other colours in the future. But for now, I’ve found my perfect little black bag!”

The main downside mentioned by Amazon reviewers seems to be the size. One person commented: “Quality is okay, I guess, very small, I wanted small, but it’s more like a makeup bag really.”

The bag is small — but so is The Row’s version. For reference, the Amazon bag measures 7.48 x 3.93 x 3.15 inches, which the brand says is enough space for a mobile phone, a card holder, lipstick, Bluetooth headphones, cosmetics, and a set of keys. By comparison, the Row bag measures 7.5 x 3 x 3.5 inches, so the two aren’t worlds apart when it comes to size.

The Amazon bag has also blown up on TikTok in recent months, with users comparing it directly to the designer original. TikTok creator @ormordekhai posted a review that racked up more than 500,000 views. In the video, she said: “I’ve seen so many comments from people saying the bag is tiny and it is really small, but you can definitely fit stuff in it.”

She also compared the budget-friendly version side by side with the premium option, adding: “The shape looks identical, the stitching looks identical as well.” However, she did note that the Amazon bag has a more “pebbled” leather finish compared to The Row’s softer leather.

Overall, the bag has earned a customer satisfaction score of 4.3 out of five stars. One shopper said: “A good dupe of a very expensive Row bag at a much cheaper price.”

Granted, it’s not exactly the same as The Row’s bag, but given the similarities, the reviews and that £970 saving, I can’t help but feel very tempted.