So far, he hasn’t heard directly from any major brands, either positively or negatively. “Initially, 11 of my videos were reported by the LVMH group for supposedly promoting counterfeit products, which was not the case,” he says. Her account was briefly suspended, but after posting a video explaining the misunderstanding, Instagram reinstated it. However, he receives a lot of positive feedback from smaller brands, who thank him for recognizing their craftsmanship and for challenging the luxury sector’s influence on consumers.
Beyond simple recommendations, Yilmaz has also become an educator, teaching his followers how to recognize quality leather goods. “Look for natural, unaltered leather,” he says, advising buyers to look out for unique grain patterns, solid stitching, and durable hardware. He also warns against vague labels: “If it just says ‘genuine leather,’ it’s usually a sign that the brand has little to boast about in terms of material quality.”
Given his background, it’s no surprise that Yilmaz is passionate about the topic. Raised in a family of leather workers in Türkiye, he learned the trade from a young age, even making his first leather jacket at age 11. Your brand, pegaiwhich started on Etsy eight years ago, reflects his commitment to quality, featuring high-end leather and hardware sourced from Spanish artisans, what he calls “accessible luxury.”
While Yilmaz’s rise to fame may seem advantageous for Pegai, he rarely uses his channel to promote his own brand. “I rarely mention my brand in reviews, so some viewers don’t realize I have one,” he says. “Every now and then, if I share an update or a related story, I mention Pegai, which drives direct sales. But otherwise, trust is built over time as viewers appreciate my content and eventually search for my brand.”
She has invested countless hours and resources into building her reputation, even once hiring a researcher in Singapore to verify a brand’s claim that its bags were produced locally. “That’s as far as I am willing to go to get to the truth,” he says.
Their passion for leather extends beyond the final products to the ethics and sustainability of the industry itself. While leather has come under scrutiny for its environmental impact, Yilmaz sees it as a valuable byproduct of the meat industry, preventing the skins from becoming waste. He maintains that the durability of genuine leather makes it a better option than plastics, which are often marketed as “vegan leather.”
“There’s nothing vegan or leathery about those plastic labels,” he says, criticizing the trend as misleading. Still, he recognizes the efforts of some brands to create true vegan alternatives from natural fibers like mushrooms or cacti, although he believes they have yet to reach the durability and quality of real leather.
Through its content, Yilmaz is helping shape a new wave of informed consumers who are less interested in status symbols and more focused on the values behind their purchases. With his genuine curiosity and willingness to spend his own money on research, Yilmaz has managed to revolutionize an industry that once felt untouchable.
And while he may have started out simply by asking why a Louis Vuitton bag costs so much, his journey has led him to question the entire luxury ecosystem. In a brand-obsessed world, his message, which he preaches to millions of Gen Zers via vertical videos, is refreshingly clear and (let’s whisper it) decidedly old school: true luxury isn’t about the logo, it’s It’s about the art, materials, and values behind the brand.