To date, he hasn’t heard straight from any main manufacturers, positively or negatively. “Early on, 11 of my movies had been flagged by the LVMH Group for allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise, which wasn’t the case,” he says. His account was briefly suspended, however after posting a video explaining the misunderstanding, Instagram reinstated it. He does, nonetheless, obtain loads of optimistic suggestions from smaller manufacturers, who thank him for recognizing their craftsmanship and for difficult the luxurious sector’s affect over customers.
Past simply suggestions, Yilmaz has additionally develop into an educator, educating his followers how one can acknowledge high quality leather-based items. “Search for pure, unaltered leather-based,” he says, advising consumers to observe for distinctive grain patterns, strong stitching, and sturdy {hardware}. He additionally warns in opposition to imprecise labels: “If it simply says ‘real leather-based,’ that’s often an indication the model has little to boast about when it comes to materials high quality.”
Given his background, it’s not shocking that Yilmaz is passionate concerning the topic. Raised in a household of leather-based staff in Turkey, he discovered the commerce from a younger age, even crafting his first leather-based jacket at age 11. His model, Pegai, which started on Etsy eight years in the past, displays his dedication to high quality, that includes high-end leather-based and {hardware} sourced from Spanish artisans—what he calls “accessible luxurious.”
Whereas Yilmaz’s rise to fame would possibly seem advantageous for Pegai, he hardly ever makes use of his channel to advertise his personal model. “I seldom point out my model in evaluations, so some viewers don’t notice I’ve one,” he says. “Sometimes, if I’m sharing an replace or associated story, I’ll point out Pegai, which boosts direct gross sales. However in any other case, belief builds over time as viewers admire my content material and finally hunt down my model.”
He has poured numerous hours and assets into constructing his popularity, even as soon as hiring an investigator in Singapore to confirm a model’s declare that its baggage had been regionally produced. “That’s how far I’m prepared to go to get to the reality,” he says.
His ardour for leather-based extends past finish merchandise to the ethics and sustainability of the business itself. Whereas leather-based has come below scrutiny for its environmental affect, Yilmaz sees it as a invaluable byproduct of the meat business, stopping hides from changing into waste. He argues that real leather-based’s sturdiness makes it a more sensible choice than plastics, which are sometimes marketed as “vegan leather-based.”
“There’s nothing vegan or leather-based about that plastic labeling,” he says, criticizing the pattern as deceptive. Nonetheless, he acknowledges the efforts of some manufacturers to create true vegan options from pure fibers resembling mushroom or cactus, although he believes they’ve but to satisfy the sturdiness and high quality of actual leather-based.
By means of his content material, Yilmaz helps form a brand new wave of knowledgeable customers who’re much less taken with standing symbols and extra centered on the values behind their purchases. Along with his real curiosity and willingness to spend his personal cash on the analysis, Yilmaz has managed to disrupt an business that when felt untouchable.
And although he might have began by merely asking why a Louis Vuitton bag prices a lot, his journey has led him to query the complete luxurious ecosystem. In a world obsessive about model names, his message, preaching to thousands and thousands of Gen Zers by way of vertical video, is refreshingly clear and (whisper it) decidedly old-school: True luxurious isn’t concerning the brand—it’s concerning the artistry, supplies, and values behind the model.
