Previous slide
Next slide

Famous Dutch satchel from the 70s

in beautiful new design

Our leather satchels come in many sizes and designs. The leather satchels from OldSchool Bags are inspired by the well-known Dutch satchel from the 70s and 80s. We have given this bag a new and contemporary design and are selling them in no less than 19 beautiful colours and designs.
Our bags

100% Made in the Netherlands

Our specials

Colourful and striking.

Bas Kosters
€ 119.95 - € 249.95
Metallics
€ 69.95 - € 159.95
Animal print
€ 69.95 - € 159.95
Denim
€ 99.95 - € 159.95

Buying a satchel or briefcase?

The well-known, Dutch leather satchel from the 70s and 80s still evokes beautiful memories. We ourselves also had such a bag, which of course was completely filled with all kinds of scribbles and drawings.

That old satchel inspired us to design a whole new range of bags. We gave it a beautiful, contemporary design. In the past, the bag was only available in one colour, brown. Today, we offer these satchels in more than 15 beautiful colors, including some very striking specials.
We’ve also thrown overboard the ‘one size fits all’ idea because now they’re available in five different models.

So, if you want to buy a satchel? The oldschool Dutch satchel is back in some beautiful newschool colours.

Leather satchel XL in classic red
Our satchels are handmade in Kaatsheuvel, in the province of North Brabant

Dutch satchel made in the Netherlands again

When we started, we made a very conscious choice. The Dutch satchel had to be made in the Netherlands again.

That is why we make all our bags in a studio in Kaatsheuvel. The production is done by a family business that has been making leather bags for 55 years. The third generation is currently at the helm. They are real professionals who also have the most modern cutting machines. Each bag is stitched together by hand with great dedication and precision.

That conscious choice was also fueled by our first business trip to India. We were shocked by the pollution of the tanneries. The cheap purchase prices of the leather bags really went at the expense of the environment (see this article by National Geographic and our blog about it).
That is why we are proud that our bags are made again in the Netherlands. Our satchels are bags with very few travel kilometers. The leather is tanned in Rijen (in the province of North Brabant), the satchels are made in Kaatsheuvel: that is exactly 14.7 kilometers.

From there we send them to our customers and retailers with PostNL. It is a very efficient production system with few links, so that the costs and ecological impact are considerably limited.

In short, it’s a truly Dutch product, made in a traditional and responsible manner and with minimal pollution of production or transport.

… read more

What is your favorite colour?

Satchels in 19 beautiful colours

Satchels by OldSchoolBags (in 10 beautiful colours)

The well-known Dutch satchel from the 70s and 80s was only available in one color: chestnut brown.

At the time, every student had this bag because it was demanded by the schools. Because the school books were rented, they had to be kept tidy and returned undamaged at the end of the school year.

Today, the situation is completely different and it’s unthinkable that a bag is only available in one colour. That is why we offer our satchels in a multitude of colours. From timeless deep black to the beautiful striking cobalt blue satchel.

Or fashionable colours such as the fuchsia, baby blue and pink. A striking Bas Kosters satchel and of course also the chestnut brown, because that remains one of the most popular colours.

We always ask our customers: what is your favorite colour?

Beautiful school memories?

Many students from that time have fond memories of the old Dutch satchel. We have received a lot of positive comments when we brought back this bag to the market. The press also paid extensive attention to it.

People have a lot nostalgic feelings about their old (Dutch) satchel. These good feelings are only partly about the bag itself. It is even more so about the very nice school time to which these bage are connected. For many, their highschool time is seen as one of their favorite times of life.

The satchel is the tangible proof of this time and it had been with them as a faithful companion all these years.


A well-known phenomenon from that time was that everyone scribbled their school bag full of all kinds of texts and drawings. Each bag had a “personal touch”, sometimes caused by boredom during class, sometimes to impress others, for example with your striking choice of music. We have seen very nice examples of this.

What is your memory of that old school bag?

… read more
Old Dutch satchel from the 70s/80s compared with our new OldSchoolBags satchel

Our bag family grows

Laptop bag for women (leather)

For us, it started with the satchel and the derived shoulder bags, but now there is much more and the family continues to grow. We have two backpacks and recently also added a Vintage bag to the range.

We made the Junior for our school-going daughter. That is a nice backpack for the kids from 4 to 10 years old. They don’t have to take much with them, so a small bag is sufficient.


We also have many “specials”. Made from special leather from our tannery or specially made for us by well-known designers. We are particularly proud of the two designs that fashion designer Bas Kosters made for us. These are inspired by his school days. For many they will be a bit too striking and outgoing, but we think they are true pieces of art.

Recently, for the first time, we also went to buy leather in Italy, known for its top quality tanneries. Our Vintage bag is the first example of this. Made from beautiful grain leather from the famous Montana tannery in Tuscany.

In the future, we will be launching even more exclusive bags made of Italian leather, especially for the more expensive shoulder bags for the office. We will finish those bags to the highest standard.

… read more