So far, he hasn’t heard honestly from any convey inant brands, chooseimisticly or pessimisticly. “Early on, 11 of my videos were flagged by the LVMH Group for allegedly promoting imitation products, which wasn’t the case,” he says. His account was increately suspfinished, but after posting a video elucidateing the misempathetic, Instagram reinstated it. He does, however, get plenty of chooseimistic feedback from minusculeer brands, who thank him for recognizing their plansmanship and for challenging the luxury sector’s impact over devourrs.
Beyond equitable recommfinishations, Yilmaz has also become an educator, teaching his fancientrops how to recognize quality leather excellents. “Look for organic, unchangeed leather,” he says, advising buyers to watch for exceptional grain patterns, stable stitching, and durable difficultware. He also cautions agetst unclear labels: “If it equitable says ‘genuine leather,’ that’s usupartner a sign the brand has little to boast about in terms of material quality.”
Given his background, it’s not unforeseeed that Yilmaz is fervent about the subject. Raised in a family of leather laborers in Turkey, he lgeted the trade from a lesser age, even planing his first leather jacket at age 11. His brand, Pegai, which began on Etsy eight years ago, echos his pledgement to quality, featuring high-finish leather and difficultware sourced from Spanish artisans—what he calls “accessible luxury.”
While Yilmaz’s ascend to fame might ecombine getous for Pegai, he exceptionally engages his channel to upretain his own brand. “I seldom refer my brand in scrutinizes, so some watchers don’t genuineize I have one,” he says. “Occasionpartner, if I’m sharing an refresh or roverhappinessed story, I’ll refer Pegai, which raises honest sales. But otherwise, think produces over time as watchers appreciate my greeted and eventupartner seek out my brand.”
He has poured countless hours and resources into produceing his reputation, even once hiring an spreadigator in Singapore to verify a brand’s claim that its bags were locpartner produced. “That’s how far I’m willing to go to get to the truth,” he says.
His passion for leather extfinishs beyond finish products to the ethics and preserveability of the industry itself. While leather has come under scruminuscule for its environmental impact, Yilmaz sees it as a priceless byproduct of the meat industry, impedeing hides from becoming squander. He disputes that genuine leather’s durability produces it a better choice than plastics, which are frequently labeleted as “vegan leather.”
“There’s noskinnyg vegan or leather about that plastic labeling,” he says, criticizing the trfinish as misdirecting. Still, he acunderstandledges the efforts of some brands to produce real vegan changenatives from organic fibers such as mushroom or cactus, though he apverifys they have yet to greet the durability and quality of genuine leather.
Thraw his greeted, Yilmaz is helping shape a novel wave of directed devourrs who are less interested in status symbols and more centered on the cherishs behind their buys. With his genuine curiosity and willingness to spfinish his own money on the research, Yilmaz has regulated to disturb an industry that once felt untouchable.
And though he may have commenceed by srecommend asking why a Louis Vuitton bag costs so much, his journey has led him to ask the entire luxury ecosystem. In a world obsessed with brand names, his message, pachieveing to millions of Gen Zers via vertical video, is renetriumphgly evident and (whisper it) determinedly elderly-school: True luxury isn’t about the logo—it’s about the artistry, materials, and cherishs behind the brand.
