Our story
An Amsterdam bag brand, since 2006.
Property Of... is an Amsterdam bag brand. Since 2006 we've been designing backpacks, travel bags and small leather goods for people who like good design, hate fuss and love to travel. Travel gear for the global citizen.
01 — Since 2006
It started as a side project
In 2006 a designer friend and Hendrik, still the owner today, started making bags for fun. Back then you had roughly four options: a heavy leather briefcase that made you look like your dad, a cheap student backpack, business luggage that cost a fortune, or a fashion backpack that was more fashion than bag. We wanted something in between: casual, approachable design classics. Bags with a strong idea behind them that still look good after ten years.
02 — The name
Why “Property Of...”?
Look at almost any suitcase and you'll find a little tag that says “Property of…”. We wanted a name and a logo as functional and understated as that. So there are no big logos on our bags. People who know the brand recognise it. Everyone else just sees a name tag.
03 — The ID tag
The tag that brings your bag home
Every Property Of... bag comes with a free personal leather ID tag. In our Amsterdam shops we emboss your name or initials (up to five letters) by hand while you wait; it takes seconds. Online, you add your letters on the product page.
On the back of every tag is a unique QR code: our worldwide Lost & Found service, also free. You scan it once to register with your name and email address. If your bag ever goes missing, whoever finds it scans the code and leaves their contact details, and you get an email right away. The finder never sees anything about you.
04 — Design
Evolution, not revolution
We don't launch a new collection every season. We keep making our bags better. Hendrik still works in the shops, so we hear first-hand what's missing: a back opening so you can pack like a suitcase, a padded laptop compartment that's safe when you travel, a pass-through for your trolley, a pocket for your water bottle. Our small design team has been at it for over 20 years.
Take the Alex, our bestseller. From the front it's a classic roll-top inspired by a vintage Swiss Army backpack, with leather details. Open it from the back and it packs like a suitcase.
05 — Materials
Our own fabrics
We develop our fabrics ourselves, together with a fabric mill in Taiwan. They're 100% recycled polyester made from plastic bottles, certified to the Global Recycled Standard, and they look and feel like cotton. Some get a wax finish for the look. And we do colour, not only black. Next up: a recycled nylon that feels like expensive cotton.
Our bags are sewn by two small, family-run factories in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We've worked with both for years and visit them regularly. Our leather is full-grain and vegetable-tanned.
And yes, they're made for Amsterdam weather. Cycling to work through the rain is exactly what they're built for. Just don't take them swimming.
06 — Price
Not luxury. Not cheap. Fair.
Luxury is about being exclusive. We'd rather be the opposite. A Property Of... bag costs around €200. That's not cheap, but it's a fair price for our own fabrics, small production runs and factories that get paid properly. We think a business only works if everybody wins: the factories, our suppliers, our team, and you.
07 — Repair and warranty
Buy less, buy better
We'd rather not call ourselves a sustainable brand. The most sustainable thing you can do is not buy anything. But if you do, buy something you'll use for years. That's why every bag has a life-long warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, and why we run a repair service for everything else. Customers regularly come in with a bag they've carried every day for ten years and ask us to fix it. We do. It's an honour.
“So friendly and helpful and the bag is top quality. I recommend you purchase a bag from here that will last a lifetime.”
08 — Our shops
Come and say hi
Our shops look like old cafés, on purpose: we wanted a home for the brand, where you meet us and we meet you. The coffee machine is big and the team are trained baristas, so stay for a chat. Find us at Herenstraat 2 (since 2010) and Utrechtsestraat 18a (since 2017) in Amsterdam, and in two stores in China, in Shanghai and Chengdu, run with our partner of ten years. Pick up our free Amsterdam map with our favourite spots on your way out.
Can't make it to Amsterdam? Tap the WhatsApp button on our website. That's Hendrik on the other end: no call centre, no bot.
09 — In short
Property Of... at a glance
- Amsterdam bag brand, founded in 2006 · owner-run · a team of about eight
- Shops: Herenstraat 2 and Utrechtsestraat 18a, Amsterdam · partner stores in Shanghai and Chengdu
- Backpacks, travel bags, work bags and small leather goods
- Our own fabrics: 100% recycled polyester (Global Recycled Standard), woven in Taiwan
- Sewn by two family-run factories in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Free personalised leather ID tag with a worldwide QR Lost & Found service
- Life-long warranty and a repair service
- Normally ships the next working day · 30-day returns (not for small leather goods embossed directly; bags with an embossed ID tag are fine)
