Telfar: the Shopping Bag, emblem of a fashion designed for everyone

The Telfar collection at MTHOR Shop brings together the most sought-after Telfar bags, the Shopping Bag in three sizes and the Telfar x UGG, Telfar x Eastpak and Telfar x Melissa collaborations, all authenticated before shipping. Buying a Telfar bag in Europe remains difficult: the brand sells mostly online, in waves, and the most wanted colourways sell out within minutes. MTHOR Shop, a French authenticated resale store, lets you order a black, tan, bubblegum pink or gold Telfar bag without waiting for a drop, with worldwide delivery in 2 to 8 days to your door with signature, customs fees included. Founded in New York in 2005 by Liberian-American designer Telfar Clemens, the brand stands for a simple idea, summed up by its slogan "It's not for you — it's for everyone": accessible, unisex luxury carried by a community rather than by a gold logo. The Shopping Bag, nicknamed the "Bushwick Birkin" by the press and its fans, has become its symbol, to the point of entering the collection of the MoMA in New York.

The story of Telfar, from Queens to the Bag Security Program

Telfar is a New York brand created in 2005 by Telfar Clemens, born in 1985 in LeFrak City, Queens, to Liberian parents. Still a student at Pace University and a DJ on the Manhattan party scene, he launched a line of unisex clothing that refused the split between men's and women's collections, long before the subject became the norm in fashion. For nearly ten years, Telfar remained an insider brand, supported by New York's art and music scene.

The turning point came in 2014 with the first version of the Shopping Bag: a vegan leather tote with two short handles and a long shoulder strap, finished with the embossed TC logo. Its deliberately restrained price and recognisable silhouette quickly made it an object of desire, first in Brooklyn and then in every major American city. In 2017, Telfar Clemens won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the most closely watched award for young American design, which came with a 400,000-dollar grant. The same year, he designed the uniforms for 400 White Castle restaurants, an unexpected collaboration that illustrates his wish to bring fashion into everyday life.

In 2020, demand exploded: every Shopping Bag release sold out within minutes and resale bots took over. Telfar responded in August 2020 with the Bag Security Program, a one-day event during which anyone who wanted to could pre-order the bag of their choice, in the size and colour they wanted, with delivery deferred by several months. This open pre-order principle, repeated several times since, has become a signature of the brand and a counter-model to artificial limited editions. In 2021, Telfar dressed the Liberian delegation at the Tokyo Olympic Games, a tribute to its founder's roots. The brand then multiplied collaborations with popular labels rather than luxury houses: UGG, whose collection launched in 2021 reinterprets the Shopping Bag in shearling, Eastpak, with a capsule of canvas shoppers, duffles and Circle Bags released in 2022, then Melissa, the Brazilian PVC footwear brand, for the translucent Jelly Shopper unveiled in summer 2023.

The Telfar Shopping Bag: three sizes, vegan leather, one shoulder strap

The Shopping Bag is the most requested Telfar bag and the most present piece in our collection. Its construction has stayed true to the 2014 design: a soft vegan leather body, one large main compartment closed by a magnetic snap, two short handles for hand carry and a long strap for shoulder or crossbody wear, all signed by the TC logo embossed in the centre. Three strengths explain its success and its value on the resale market. Three genuinely different sizes: the Small is worn in the evening and holds the essentials, the Medium fits a laptop for everyday use, the Large works as a weekend bag or cabin luggage. A modular carry: short handles, long adjustable strap and a silhouette that stays upright even when barely filled, which makes it a unisex bag in the strict sense. A permanently rotating colour palette: Black, Tan, Chocolate, Navy, Dark Olive, Grey or White for the classics, Bubblegum Pink, Azalea, Grape, Highlighter Green or Hazard for the bright shades, and metallic finishes in Gold, Silver, Bronze or Copper, each colourway returning with the drops and pre-orders. This logic of variants brings the Telfar Shopping Bag close to collectible sneakers: you look for a precise size, colour and finish, not just "a bag".

The versions born from collaborations keep the same template while changing material: shearling and suede at UGG, technical canvas at Eastpak, translucent recyclable PVC at Melissa. This is what makes the Telfar collection easy to read for a buyer: the shape is known, the choice is made on material, size and colour.

The iconic pieces of the Telfar collection

Ten families of bags structure the Telfar collection at MTHOR Shop.

• Telfar Shopping Bag Medium Black: the absolute reference, the black Telfar bag in the mid size, the most sought-after of all.
• Telfar Shopping Bag Small and Medium Tan: the camel colourway that started the "Bushwick Birkin" nickname.
• Telfar Shopping Bag Medium and Large Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper: the metallic finishes, highly requested for parties and events.
• Telfar Shopping Bag Bubblegum Pink and Azalea: the Telfar pinks, among the most shared colourways on social media.
• Telfar Shopping Bag Chocolate, Navy, Dark Olive and Grey: the deep neutrals for everyday wear.
• Telfar Shopping Bag Grape, Highlighter Green, Hazard and Ballerina: the bright and pastel shades, often released in a single drop.
• Telfar Medium Shopping Bag Black Rainbow and Medium Patent Shopping Bag Red: the special editions, rainbow logo or patent leather.
• Telfar x UGG Shopping Bag Small Chestnut and Medium Pink: the Shopping Bag in shearling and suede, from the collaboration with UGG.
• Telfar x Eastpak Shopper Small, Medium and Large, Medium Duffle and Circle Bag: the canvas capsule, designed for school, sport and travel.
• Telfar x Melissa Small and Medium Jelly Shopper: the Shopping Bag in translucent PVC in Clear, Clear Pink, Green, Purple, Brown or Black.

Each product page states the size, colourway and condition of the piece, and our teams photograph the very bag being sold.

Why buy a Telfar bag at MTHOR

MTHOR Shop specialises in selling authenticated bags. Every bag in our Telfar collection goes through a rigorous check carried out by our team of experts: we check the consistency of the box and labels, the materials, finishes, stitching and references, as well as the accessories and documentation. On a Shopping Bag, this means checking the relief and position of the embossed TC logo, the softness and grain of the vegan leather, the regularity of the topstitching on the handles, the hold of the magnetic snap and the consistency of the dust bag and inner label with the stated colourway. For the most advanced checks, we rely on specialised tools such as a UV lamp or a microscope. Every order ships with a seal, a tangible guarantee that quality control has been carried out and authenticity confirmed. Learn more about our authentication process.

We offer worldwide delivery in 2 to 8 days to your door with signature, with real-time tracking by email and WhatsApp, payment in 4 interest-free instalments via Klarna or Scalapay, and a France-based customer service reachable Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm. If anything goes wrong, our 14-day return policy protects you.

FAQ — Telfar at MTHOR

How can I tell if a Telfar bag is authentic?

At MTHOR, every Telfar bag is checked by an expert before shipping: crisp, centred embossed TC logo, soft vegan leather with an even grain, straight stitching on the handles and strap, a magnetic snap that closes firmly, inner label and dust bag consistent with the model. Counterfeit Shopping Bags most often give themselves away with a logo that is too flat or misaligned, stiff and shiny leather and uneven finishes. The MTHOR seal placed on the order certifies that this check has been carried out.

Which Telfar Shopping Bag size should I choose: Small, Medium or Large?

The Small suits going out with a phone, wallet and keys; the Medium is the everyday size and fits a laptop; the Large serves as a weekend bag or cabin luggage. All three sizes share the same short handles and the same long strap. The UGG, Eastpak and Melissa collaborations use this template, the Large not being offered in every capsule.

What is included in the delivery of a Telfar bag bought at MTHOR?

You receive the Telfar bag in the condition described on the product page, with its dust bag when it came with the piece, all protected in MTHOR packaging closed with our authentication seal. Telfar bags are sold without a rigid box by the brand itself; the absence of a box is therefore normal and says nothing about authenticity.

What is the delivery time for a Telfar bag ordered on MTHOR?

We ship worldwide, with delivery to your door with signature within 2 to 8 days. You get real-time tracking by email and WhatsApp, whatever your destination.

Are there customs fees for a Telfar bag delivered outside France?

No, no customs fees are charged to you. MTHOR covers all customs fees and taxes, whatever your destination in the world. The price shown on the site is the final price you pay: no unpleasant surprise on delivery.

Can I return a Telfar bag if the colour doesn't suit me?

Yes. You have 14 days after receipt to return your bag to us, provided it is in its original condition (never worn or used, packaging intact, seal not removed). The refund is processed within 24 hours of receiving the return.

Going further

To complete your search, discover all our authenticated bags, the UGG collection to find the slippers and boots of the Telfar x UGG partner brand, or Marc Jacobs bags, another New York house popular on the resale market. To understand how we check every piece, read our authentication process.