Métier’s Vagabond Messenger Bag Review 2025

Scoring the so-called perfect bag is a true high. But it’s a temporary high. That’s because the so-called perfect bag—or perfect anything—doesn’t actually exist. It’s an illusion—which is why you can achieve that feeling more than once. There are perfect bags for different occasions, perfect bags for a changing lifestyle, perfect bags for shifting tastes. We all define perfection in our own way, so the quest—and the feeling of achievement—is truly endless. And as someone with more bags in my closet than I will ever publicly admit, the perfect bag to me right now doesn’t come from a major fashion house. It’s by a brand you might not have even heard of: Métier.

Founded in 2017 by American designer Melissa Morris, Métier is based out of London. Morris decided to headquarter in Europe so she could be closer to the production process (her wares are handcrafted with skilled artisans in Florence and Naples). I was introduced to the brand in 2021 when I noticed it popping up here and there, then I just happened to be in London. My husband and I stopped by the store in Mayfair. We didn’t realize that we were in for a full experience. We spent hours in the store “hanging out” with the most knowledgeable store manager I’ve ever come across. He spent a long time explaining every single detail of the bag to us, where every leather came from, and what every single useful compartment thoughtful sewn into the interior was meant for. Naturally, we left with a new bag.

Shop at Métier

Shop at Mr.Porter

You Need to Experience It

The devil is in the details, and Metier knows that. The bag’s handles, for example, aren’t just thick leather, but rope wrapped with suede. As the years go by, that reinforced interior means they won’t get stretched out and floppy. Each pocket has a purpose—whether that’s holding a pen or a passport or a card—and is secured by strong magnetic closures that make the additional storage appear nearly invisible. The zippers glide so smoothly they make others I’ve tried feel downright obsolete. And there’s a modular aspect, too; Métier also offers smaller bags and travel organizers that are all sized to seamlessly stack and fit into each other like Russian nesting dolls.

But the true stars of the show are the materials. The leathers and suedes are luxury level, through and through. There’s no skimping or corner-cutting here. It’s the type of stuff that’s made to live your life with you and get better year after year.

Granted, I’m not a tough sell when it comes to luxury. My husband, on the other hand? He is the toughest sell. He has great taste, but he’s not a luxury consumer and never will be. The nicest things he owns are items he would never purchase for himself; they’re things I bought for him (before hiding the receipt). He does appreciate quality—he just doesn’t think it has to come with a designer name. I think there’s a lot of truth to that. And the Vagabond messenger bag he bought himself that day—to my utter surprise—is proof.

You Can’t Beat This Kind of Durability

Two years later, my husband has not spent a single day without this bag. He works in an office five days a week and totes this on the subway daily. He uses it on every trip or weekend getaway. He’s the kind of guy who loves his books, notebooks, and pens, so the things he holds in this messenger bag are prized possessions that he takes with him everyday, everywhere.

More often than not you’ll find this bag thrown on the floor next to his desk, the back of a taxi, or on a restaurant floor in midtown for a business dinner. It’s been thrown around and taken all over the world, but you wouldn’t know by looking at it. (The photos you’re looking at, by the way, are just a couple of weeks old.)

He once left a kiwi in this bag for two months—I’m still grappling with how this even happened. It rotted inside the bag and stained the interior’s soft performance microfiber suede, and the stain even leaked through and showed on an exterior corner from the outside. He tried to hide this incident from me, but after discovering the rotten kiwi, we took it to the cleaner straight away. Now it’s as if the kiwi never happened. It was cleaned like new for the price of $25 by a professional dry cleaner in downtown in Manhattan. That’s what you get from quality material, something you can work with, not something that’s ruined forever.

As for me, I now own two Métier bags, the Perriand, in the brand’s signature Marrakech Italian suede, and the Incognito Tote for traveling. I don’t regret either a single bit. (It is worth noting, though, that prices have risen since we made our purchases. Caveat emptor, and all that.)

Shop at Métier

Shop at Mr.Porter

So, should you buy a Métier bag? Look, the price is high—shockingly high, in fact—but I still sincerely believe it’s worth it. The quality cannot be beat. And even though others might not instantly recognize that you splashed out on a luxury item—a bonus, if you ask me—Métier still has a presence all its own. When you see something like this in the wild, you take a second look, wondering what that beautiful looking material is. Countless times people have stopped us both to ask where our bags are from. The brand has seemingly taken over our household—and all from a single store visit. Like I said, I don’t believe a single perfect bag exists, but I’ve never seen one get closer to the ideal than this.

Métier Vagabond Messanger Bag