Status Anxiety has been making leather bags, wallets and belts since 2004, and the range has changed direction very little in that time. Most of what follows is which pieces we carry and how the leather behaves.
Who is Status Anxiety?
The brand started in Sydney in 2004. The founder, Will, made wallets by hand and walked them around Sydney fashion boutiques trying to convince owners to stock them. Some said yes. That was the business.
The name is a reference to something most people recognise but few say out loud: the feeling you get comparing how you are doing against everyone around you. As Will puts it, "we often measure it by things like job titles, if we own our house, our appearance, the clothes we wear." Naming a fashion label after that anxiety is a fairly pointed joke, and it sets up everything the brand does afterwards.
What follows from it is a stated design philosophy of longevity over passing trends, with versatility and function ahead of novelty.
What Status Anxiety makes
The range spans leather bags, wallets and pouches, belts, sunglasses, keyrings and travel accessories.
The bags are the best known part: crossbody styles, totes, work bags, backpacks and duffles, mostly in unlined leather shapes with minimal hardware. The wallets are where the brand began and still cover the full spread from slim cardholders through to zip-around purses. The belts sit at the accessible end of the range and are the easiest way into the brand.
The leather, and why it matters
Status Anxiety uses LWG certified leather. The Leather Working Group audits tanneries on their environmental practice, covering things like chemical use and water management, so the certification tells you something concrete about where the hides came from rather than serving as a vague sustainability claim.
There are four leathers across the range:
- Natural pebble is soft with visible natural grain variation, so no two pieces are identical.
- Bubble is a lamb leather with a thick, buttery hand feel. It is noticeably softer than the others, which is a feature rather than a fault, though it marks more easily.
- Waxed is a cowhide finished in semi gloss colours.
- Embossed has a uniform texture and holds up best against scratches and everyday wear.
Every leather piece is lined in 100% cotton, which is fully biodegradable. That is a small detail that most brands at this price skip in favour of polyester.
Status Anxiety belts
Belts are the strongest part of the range we carry, and the easiest entry point at $99.99 to $125.
The Nocturne and Over and Over belts are the everyday pair, both $99.99, in black with silver or gold hardware and a tan and gold option. They are narrow enough to work through a dress or a linen pant without bulking up the waistline.
Under Your Spell is the dressier one at $125, in black or ivory nappa with gold or silver hardware.
Every belt in the range clears our free NZ delivery threshold of $80, so shipping is on us either way.
Status Anxiety bags
Bag availability moves around, so it is worth checking the current range rather than going off a list.
Right now the Forget About It bag in black ($429.95) is the largest piece we hold, and the Reverie in cocoa ($309) is the mid size crossbody. Styles like the Aurora and the Last Mountains come and go, so if you are after a specific one it pays to ask.
Buying Status Anxiety in New Zealand
Wally is an authorised Status Anxiety stockist. You can shop the full range online or see it in person at our store in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore. The four leathers feel quite different in the hand, and that is hard to judge from a photograph.
We are open Monday to Friday 10 to 5, Saturday 9 to 5 and Sunday 10 to 5. Online orders ship free anywhere in New Zealand over $80.
The Status Anxiety pieces sit alongside the rest of our womens accessories and work well with brands like Arms of Eve and Isle of Eden if you are building out a set rather than buying one thing.
Looking after Status Anxiety leather
Leather this soft will mark, and that is normal. A few things that help:
- Keep it out of prolonged direct sun, which dries and fades the finish.
- Wipe marks off promptly with a dry soft cloth rather than water.
- Store bags stuffed and upright so the shape holds.
- Condition sparingly. Over-conditioning darkens leather permanently, and the pebble and bubble finishes need it least.
Natural variation in grain, colour and marking is a property of the hide rather than a defect. It is the reason the pieces age the way they do.
Shop Status Anxiety at Wally
Browse the Status Anxiety range online, or come and handle it at Wally in Takapuna. New stock lands through the year and the range shifts with it, so if there is a style you are chasing that we do not have on the shelf, get in touch and we will let you know what is coming.