The Stella Soomlais Wild Librarian is a handmade vegetable-tanned leather backpack designed for people who carry their work, their books, and their life with them every day — and want a bag that improves with every year of doing so. Made to order in Estonia. Transforms between backpack, shoulder bag, and hand carry. Fits a 13" laptop. Signed inside by the craftsperson who made it.
At €850, the Wild Librarian is the most considered purchase in the Stella Soomlais range. The price is justified by material, construction, longevity, and the specific way this bag ages — not by brand markup.
⚠️ Laptop Compatibility — Please Read Before Ordering
The Wild Librarian Medium's dedicated laptop compartment fits laptops up to 13 inches. If your laptop is 14" or larger, this bag will not accommodate it comfortably. Please measure your laptop and confirm before ordering — a bag made to order cannot be returned because the laptop didn't fit.
If you need a 14"+ laptop compartment, contact us before placing your order to discuss options.
Dimensions
Bag size: 45 x 37 x 14 cm
Zip opening: 31.5 cm
Strap length 66 cm, width 3 cm
Fits laptop up to 13"
Vegetable-Tanned Leather — What €850 Is Paying For
Most leather bags, even expensive ones, are made from chrome-tanned leather — a process that takes 1–2 days using chromium salts. The leather is uniform, predictable, and produces the consistent surface you see in most high-street and mid-market leather goods.
Vegetable tanning takes weeks. It uses plant-based tannins — bark extracts, organic matter — and the result is a material with fundamentally different properties. Denser structure. Greater natural water resistance. A surface that develops a patina over years of handling rather than showing wear as degradation. The leather that shows up at your door is already good. The leather at year ten is better.
The Wild Librarian is made from responsibly sourced vegetable-tanned leather — traced supply chain, environmental tanning standards, no production waste from offcuts (larger pieces become accessories; smaller pieces go to workshops). This is Stella Soomlais's Round 2 circular design system in practice.
Three Ways to Carry It
The Wild Librarian's transformable strap system gives three distinct carrying modes from the same bag:
Backpack: Both shoulder straps, weight distributed evenly across the back. The standard mode for commuting, hiking, and days when you're carrying a full load — laptop, books, change of clothes, lunch.
Shoulder bag: One strap, worn across the body or over one shoulder. Better for shorter trips, urban navigation, or situations where you need the bag at your side rather than on your back.
Hand carry: The top handle, for stations, short walks, and meetings — when you want the bag in your hand and your coat on your back.
The strap lengths are adjustable for different heights and carry preferences. All three modes work with the same bag, the same day, switching as your situation changes.
Organisation — What's Inside
Main compartment: Roomy enough for daily essentials, a change of clothes, books, folders, and general carry. The depth works as a day bag or a light overnight bag.
Dedicated laptop compartment: Padded and separated from the main compartment. Fits up to a 13" laptop securely — the sleeve holds the laptop in place and protects it from impact during backpack wear.
Two interior pockets: For organisation within the main compartment — phone, charger, documents, anything you need to find quickly without unpacking the bag.
Made to Order and Signed Inside
Each Wild Librarian is made after your order is placed. Production takes up to two weeks before shipping. At a bag with this level of construction and material, production time is not a supply chain delay — it is the time required to make the thing.
Inside each bag, the craftsperson who made it marks their name. This is the most specific quality signal available in handmade goods: the accountability of a person, not a factory floor.
Stella Soomlais — The Brand
Stella Soomlais is an Estonian leather accessories brand led by designer Stella Runnel, producing all work in a small workshop in Estonia. The brand's approach is grounded in the Round 2 circular design system: products designed for repairability rather than replacement, production processes that minimise material waste, and responsibly sourced leather throughout.
The work has been recognised by the Estonian Design Act of the Year, the BRUNO Product Design Award, the Golden Needle Chamber Award, and Gold Level recognition in the Estonian Responsible Business Index — an independently assessed standard covering environmental and social production practices.
The Wild Librarian and the Stella Soomlais Range
The Wild Librarian is the largest and most functional bag in the Stella Soomlais range. The full range, all made from vegetable-tanned leather in the same Estonian workshop:
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Wild Librarian Medium (€850): The workhorse — backpack, shoulder bag, or hand carry. 13" laptop compartment. For daily use, commuting, travel.
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Escape Essentials (€525): Compact structured handbag, 25 × 20 × 5 cm, shoulder or crossbody. For a more curated everyday carry.
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Nordic Introvert (€280): Smallest bag in the range, 19 × 11 × 3 cm. Three straps: wristlet, shoulder, crossbody. For essentials only.
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Leather Tote Bag (€185): Open-top tote, 37.5 × 37 × 12.5 cm. The most accessible entry into the Stella Soomlais range.
Specifications
| Feature |
Detail |
Dimensions
|
45 x 37 x 14 cm |
| Material |
Vegetable-tanned leather, responsibly sourced |
| Laptop compartment |
Fits up to 13" laptop |
| Interior pockets |
Two |
| Carry modes |
Backpack, shoulder bag, hand carry (transformable straps) |
| Strap |
Adjustable — multiple lengths |
| Hardware |
Nickel or Brass (solid metal) |
| Craftsperson signature |
Inside each bag |
| Production |
Made to order — up to 2 weeks before shipping |
| Brand |
Stella Soomlais (by Stella Runnel) |
| Made in |
Estonia, Europe |
| Design system |
Round 2 circular production |
| Price |
€850 |
Caring for Vegetable-Tanned Leather
Vegetable-tanned leather is resilient and long-lasting, but responds to how it's treated:
Moisture: Dry naturally at room temperature. Never apply heat — radiators and hair dryers crack the leather. Maintain the bag's shape by stuffing lightly with paper while drying.
Conditioning: Apply a quality leather conditioner (wax-based, such as Saphir) two to three times a year. This maintains the leather's suppleness and feeds the patina development.
Patina: Surface marks, colour deepening at stress points, and handle darkening are natural properties of vegetable-tanned leather. They are not damage — they are the material recording its use. A Wild Librarian carried daily for five years will look more characterful, not more worn.
Storage: Store in a dust bag away from direct sunlight when not in use. Sustained direct sun causes uneven colour change.
From myshoes24.com
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Made to order in Estonia — signed by the craftsperson who made it
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Free shipping across Europe on every order
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30-day hassle-free returns — unused, full refund
Stella Soomlais is an Estonian leather accessories brand designed and made by Stella Runnel in Estonia. Recognised by the BRUNO Product Design Award, the Estonian Design Act of the Year, and the Estonian Responsible Business Index (Gold Level). Every bag is signed by the craftsperson who made it.
