Want to be a Lit Girl? 4 places to buy journals to kick-start your next analogue hobby

SINGAPORE – The year 2026 started with a siren call heard around the world – to adopt an “analogue lifestyle” and ditch the screens for tangible hobbies and objects.

And so the people followed. As more clamour for the materiality of tactile items, there has been a noticeable rise, or return of, physical media – paper books and magazines, print newspapers, and leather-bound journals to put pen to paper in.

In January, The New York Times profiled the buzz around Louise Carmen, a Parisian boutique that went viral for its hundred-dollar leather notebooks – and how young women were flocking to it as a new status symbol.

This desire for all things analogue comes hand in hand with the continued crossing of fashion and literature, a phenomenon made pronounced by the rise of celebrity book clubs and text-related fashion objects.

Call it performative, but no “What’s In My Bag” video today can be complete without a well-worn diary of scribbled pages signalling you have people to meet and places to be.

Want to join in the digital detox? Here are four places where you can stock up on wares to get started on your journaling journey.

Louise Carmen (louisecarmen.com)

The name that started it all. Founded in 2016 in Paris, the luxury stationery brand has become a social media sensation for its bespoke, modular leather journals and notebooks – and is arguably the culprit driving this renewed craze for personalised journals.

Founder Nathalie Valmary runs the family business across a boutique in Paris and a bustling e-shop. It is said that the brand owes its internet virality to her millennial daughter Victoire, who started making videos on TikTok and Instagram during the Covid-19 pandemic showing how each personalised notebook was made.

Today, Louise Carmen boasts 224,000 followers on Instagram and 149,000 on TikTok, although a visit to its Passage du Grand Cerf boutique has become an attraction in its own right for any trip to Paris.

Customers can choose from six notebook styles, three sizes, 15 leather colours and a selection of unique charms made by silversmiths in Bali. The special part, as its staff will remind you, is that the leather used develops a unique patina over time, unlike most chemically treated leather on the market.

Personalise to your heart’s content – from the engraving, paper type, travel pouch and down to the fine cord binding it all together. You can also add accessories like portfolios and agendas. Prices start at €129 (S$191) for a passport-size holder.

Ruby Merlot (rubymerlot.com)

A formidable contender to Louise Carmen, this Singapore-based online fashion label started out making bags, but has now risen in popularity for its sleek leather journals.

Founder Jiwahn Han was inspired in equal parts by her Korean heritage and a six-month work exchange in Paris.

Ruby Merlot’s first smaller leather good, the Orbit Journal (from $109 for a small size), comes with two notebooks, pockets, elastic ribbons and a functional eyelet detail that doubles as a charm loop to hang keychains or trinkets for a personal touch.

You can also purchase portfolio inserts ($109), refill packs ($14), system planner refills ($2) and journal charms (from $20).

Ana Tomy (ana-tomy.co)

For those who like extreme personalisation, Ana Tomy has a staggering selection of journal covers, page types and accessories to make a planner your own.

The Malaysian brand calls its signature A5 size the Wirebound 2.0 (from RM138 or S$44), which you can customise from start to finish – beginning with whether you want plain paper, an undated planner, 12 months or 53 weeks.

Add or remove interchangeable elastic bands, detachable bookmark rulers, insert papers and an adjustable pen loop.

The hard part comes in choosing the journal cover – from a rainbow of colours, some leathers and Ana Tomy’s rotating series of artist illustrations and collaborations. It has an ongoing collection of Miffy designs (from RM148).

Each book is custom-made and requires one to two working days before shipping. Or if you are in Kuala Lumpur, make a trip to its flagship store at The Zhongshan Building for a crafty, hands-on experience.

Traveler’s Company

If a Japanese Hobonichi Techo feels too overwhelming for you, fellow Japanese stationery brand Traveler’s Company might do the trick.

Founded in 2006, it is known for its customisable leather journals that work on a modular system of papers and inserts. Available in Regular and Passport sizes, the notebook’s supple leather covers are made in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Various paper refills are held together by elastic bands, allowing users to customise their notebooks for journalling, sketching, planning and documenting travel memories. For journalling connoisseurs, the brand also sells brass ballpoint pens, rollerball pens and fountain pens.

In Singapore, you can find them at stationery retailers Overjoyed, Cityluxe, Spasi and Books Kinokuniya. At Cityluxe, prices start at $67.20 for a Starter Kit (Passport Size).