Looking for a Radley Alternative? British Leather Crossbody Bags to Consider

Radley London went into administration in May 2026. The brand and its intellectual property were bought by Gordon Brothers, the UK website stopped taking orders on 19 August 2026 and the last UK stores closed at the end of August, after 28 years. If you have carried a Radley bag for years and are now wondering where to go next, this guide is for you. It sets out what most Radley customers valued, what to check before you choose another brand, and how Pom Pom London measures up on each point, with real numbers rather than promises.

What a Radley customer usually valued

Ask a loyal customer of any long-standing British bag brand why they stayed and the answers tend to be the same four things. A British name they recognised. Real leather rather than a coated fabric. A practical crossbody shape that holds the essentials and leaves the hands free. And a price that felt fair for the leather, somewhere well short of designer money.

None of those is unusual, which is good news. There is no need to settle for less on any of them. The trick is to check each one properly rather than assume, because the differences between brands sit in the detail.

What to look for in an alternative

Leather first. Full-grain is the top layer of the hide with the natural grain left intact, and it wears in rather than wearing out. If a bag is described simply as leather, ask which kind.

Then the promises that sit behind the bag. A warranty of a year or more tells you the maker expects it to last. A returns window of at least a month gives you time to live with it. Look at the volume of reviews as well as the average score; a 4.8 from thirteen thousand people means more than a 5.0 from forty.

Finally the practical points. Strap length matters more than most people realise, especially if you are tall or wear the bag over a winter coat. Compartments decide whether you can find your keys without emptying the bag. Our guide to what size crossbody bag you need works through this with measurements.

How Pom Pom London compares

Pom Pom London is a British leather bag brand, designed in London. Every bag is handcrafted in 100% full-grain leather, lined, with an easy-clean interior and signature gold hardware. You can see the whole range in our British leather crossbody bags collection, or browse all bags.

Every bag comes with two free straps of your choice and a keyring, together worth £63 in the UK, and it is covered by a 365-day warranty with 30-day returns. We have over 13,000 reviews with an average of 4.8, and our partnership with Breast Cancer Now has raised over £90,000 to date.

The two bags to start with

If you want the classic shape, the Original is a crossbody of 20 x 16 x 8cm with three compartments and a strap that adjusts to 125cm. A phone goes in one section, a purse in another and the small things in the third. It is £94.95 and you can see every colour in the Original collection.

If you prefer something sleeker and more structured, the City is 23 x 16.5 x 7cm with two external zip compartments, so tickets and keys stay separate from the rest. It is also £94.95, in the City collection. Both come in Mini and Plus sizes, at £84.95 and £124.95, if you carry less or more than average.

Beyond the crossbody there are bucket, saddle, tote and messenger shapes. Our guide to bag shapes explains the differences in plain English, and the bag comparison guide sets every style side by side with measurements.

The straps change the maths

One thing worth understanding before you compare prices is the strap. A plain leather or fabric strap, a woven one, a gold chain: each changes how the same bag looks and where it sits. Because every bag arrives with two straps of your choice, you get two looks from one bag, one for the day and one for the evening. With over 2,000 strap combinations, and a swap that takes seconds, the bag you buy this autumn will not look the same next spring unless you want it to.

A sensible way to decide

Empty your current bag on the table and count what you carry every day. Match that to the Original or City measurements above. Pick a colour you will wear with a winter coat, which for most people means black, navy, tan or chestnut, and choose one plain strap and one with a little more personality. If you are buying for someone else, the gifts for her collection groups the bags that get given most often.

Then order it, carry it for a fortnight and decide. With 30-day returns and a 365-day warranty, the risk sits with us rather than with you, which is exactly how it should be.