Often I’ll be sitting somewhere pounding away on my laptop when I catch the flash of brown leather breezing by and subsequently get up and go chase down the confused owner. It usually goes one of two ways, they think I’m a weirdo and leave, or we talk leather for a while and I get a few photos.
This cool little bag is Jamin’s satchel for carrying his notepad, pens, iPad, Leatherman, and maybe even a slim book.
It was handmade (obviously) in Morocco and given to Jamin as a gift. I know some people who demand only the straightest of stitching and finest of construction and may turn their nose up at this unique piece, but I would not. How cool is leather hand-fashioned into a satchel by someone on the other side of the world? It tells a vague story about the realm outside our little world. There are other people who live different lives and have different priorities that make things. Chances are these profits fed a family.
I was somewhat surprised by how much one could fit in the satchel.
This is a great color that I expect will wear very nicely.
Even though some of the angles aren’t quite right the satchel will last quite a while. The stitching is heavy duty and well done. None of it was fraying. The leather was also quite heavy and supple.
I met this interesting fellow from England (just moved) during a layover in Seattle. He had purchased this fairly heavy duty Ashwood Briefcase in England before moving to the US.
Amazon only had this variation. The price isn’t bad at $180. I only had a few minutes with the bag but I did get a good feel on the leather and it felt substantial. Couldn’t tell off the bat if it was full grain or top grain, but it was fairly thick.
Visually, the strap d rings seem like weak points. Personally I’m not a fan of the faux buckles, though they are faster to latch. They seem cheesy to me.
I met a guy who bought this vintage Bosca beauty for $80 at a vintage store. Despite being 20+ years old the leather and stitching is in great shape. It could probably use some leather conditioner though. Keep your leather well conditioned if you want it to last a long time. Continue reading “In The Wild: Vintage Bosca Briefcase”
Cork Leather is offering one of these delicious bags for referring five or more your friends to their give away on Facebook.
Here’s how you do it.
Be sure to like us on Facebook (if you haven’t already done so) by clicking here
Connect with them on Facebook by clicking the “Connect” button
Invite as many of your friends as you can by clicking the “Invite friends” button – the more friends you invite, the greater your chance of receiving your free handbag.
If at least 5 of the friends you have invited also register for this competition, you will receive a free handbag! It’s that easy!
Competition Terms and Conditions:
1. Information on how to enter forms part of the terms of entry. Entry into the competition is deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions. 2. Entry is open to all residents of Australia, above 16 years old. 3. The competition commences on 30 October at 00:00 (AEST) and concludes on 31 December 2012 at 23:59 (AEST) (“Promotional Period”), or until the first 10 winners have been identified, whichever comes first. 4. To be deemed Registered, participants must have liked our Facebook page, connected with the Facebook application by clicking the ‘Connect’ button and invited at least 25 of their Facebook friends. 5. Participants will become eligible to receive their prize once at least 5 of the friends they have invited also register. The 5 registered friends must also be residents of Australia, above 16 years old, and they must have registered at a time after the friend invitation was sent. 6. The Promoter reserves the right to request winners to provide proof of identity, proof of residency at the nominated prize delivery address and/or proof of entry validity in order to claim a prize. Proof of identification, residency and entry considered suitable for verification is at the discretion of the Promoter. In the event that a winner cannot provide suitable proof, the winner will forfeit the prize in whole and no substitute will be offered. 7. The Promoter reserves the right to verify the validity of entries and to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process, who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Terms & Conditions of entry or who has, in the opinion of the Promoter, engaged in conduct in entering the promotion which is fraudulent, misleading, deceptive or generally damaging to the goodwill or reputation of the promotion and/or the Promoter. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify a winner if the Promoter becomes aware that the winner and/or the winner’s entry is of a type described in this clause. 8. There are five (5) major prizes consisting of 5 different handbags with an average retail value of AUD $145. The Prize will be sent by Cork Leather to the competition winners when they have been confirmed. 9. The Prize cannot be transferred or exchanged, or be redeemed for cash. 10. Winners will be notified within 7 days of completing the competition requirements. Winners will be notified of their prize by email. Winners will have their names published on the Cork Leather website http://www.corkleather.com.au/ 11. By entering the promotion, each entrant also agrees that the Promoter may use this information, in any media for future promotional, marketing and publicity purposes without any further reference, payment or other compensation to the entrant, including sending the entrant electronic messages. 12. All entries become the property of The Promoter. 13. This promotion will be advertised on Facebook and adheres to the terms and conditions set out in the Facebook promotion guidelines which can be found at:http://www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php
A two week business trip takes us to Chicago, where in the free time we walk the downtown arena in search of choice leather in the fashion corridors.
In summary, nought was found. Many leather bags were found, none were full grain leather, much less quality leather, all were far more expensive then they should be, and every single one was being sold as an excellent long term investment in quality leather (laughing out loud). Note that all of these photos were taken in supposedly high quality fashion stores.
Don’t fall for the fashion hype, even the goods on Etsy do a much better job delivering enduring quality for good prices.
My mental equation for value evaluation is:
(Construction Quality + Aesthetic Design)/Cost = Value
It means that high cost items are good value as long as the quality and aesthetic levels are equally high as well. Note that his is how I personally value the worth of an item. Others may weight details differently and come to different conclusions. Also, there is an personal sense of style that greatly influences perceived value (i.e. Apple Laptops).
Both construction quality and aesthetic design are percentages subjective relative to the level of quality you expect from the product.
Lets see how this works out with a real product. Lets compare the Paul Stuart Duffel and the Coronado Americana Leather Duffel.
The Paul Stuart Duffell costs $847
construction
Uses stamped top grain leather for most surface areas, handles are full grain leather.
3 oz leather (thinner)
Lined with polyester
light brass hardware
unknown warrenty
unknown orgin
4 pounds
total construction score: 50% fails to impress
design
very nice beige leather color
pleasing proportions
functional carry handle and carry strap
total design score: 50% fails to impress
The Coronado Americana Leather Duffel Costs $749.
construction
Uses full grain Horween Chromexcel leather (legendary leather tanned in Chicago)
5-6 oz leather (thicker)
Lined with canvas
heavy brass hardware (#10 brass zipper)
reinforcing straps to bear load from the handles
lifetime warranty
7 pounds of stunning craftsmanship
made in America
total construction score: 100% excellent craftsmanship
design
heavy usage of quality brass accents
suave brown oiled leather
complex and functional aesthetic design (the strap attachments points flex upward easily,
design does not hinder functionality
total design score: 100% excellent design
I conclude that the Corando Leather Americana Duffel was designed and constructed with twice the care.
Lets apply the equation to the Paul Stuart Duffel: (.5+.5)/$847=0.0011 value
Now lets apply the equation to the Corando Leather Americana Duffel (1+1)/$749=.0023 value
Here we can see the mathematical expression of the quality with price factored in, making the Coronado Leather Americana Duffel twice the value with almost $100 less cost.
Enjoy…
This brown messenger bag is much like the black variation except smaller and slightly less expensive. Still, it makes no sense.
Like the overnight variation of this design the leather is lightweight top grain and single stitched. What would posses the buyer to pick this one out of all the great options out there? You will never know.
It’s small, it’s made with top grain stamped leather, it is single stitched, and it costs way too much. Next.
$800 for this ultra thin top grain leather lightweight?!
More of the same thin highly coated leather from Paul Stuart. This bag was laughably advertised to last “quite a while.”
While this duffel still felt relatively thin it was the most attractive found.
Diesel’s in house offering of leather came in the form of this somewhat flimsy faux suede carryon bag. It is lined with cheap polyester. The zippers were metal, but small and chinsy.
Another selection with extraordinarily thin and flimsy leather. The intent of the cheap leather could be to keep weight down, but that seems a foolish compromise with the excellence of quality leather.
Another view of the front. You can see from the sheeny reflection of the leather it is heavily coated which will likely wear off with continual use.
The Jack Spade Red Leather Duffel ($1295) was easily the most heavily constructed leather bag found during the hunt, yet it utterly failed to compare with the ruggedness of the Saddleback Leather Large Duffel. Some parts are genuine full grain leather but most is cheap top grain which has been restamped.
Tanner goods, from the land of Portland Oregon, makes durable lifestyle men’s goods with a careful eye towards style. While leather is a staple, tough canvas is also used in pleasing quantities. Continue reading “Tanner Goods”
Renaissance Art focuses on having a wide selection of leather products with an emphasis on choice for each purchase. Since each product is made after order you have many options to make your product unique and suited to you. Oh, and they have a hilarious sense of humor in their videos.
Saddleback Leather dominates the market with their high quality leather goods.
The story of Saddleback starts with Dave Munson, the president of the company, who had a leather briefcase made for him in Mexico to kick his idea off. People liked it and here we are now. Saddleback Leather is a private company but estimates of their gross revenue range in the high teen millions. Saddleback manufactures a wide range of leather goods and has maintained a steady pace of innovation.
All products are made with:
4-5 oz. full grain leather (as opposed to corrected genuine or bonded leather that is weaker)
fully tanned leather (Yes, you still have to oil it like any other leather)
the same threads used in airbags and sails
as few seams as possible, large pieces of leather
hidden nylon straps reinforcing the interior by taking load
nickel plated brass hardware
strong rivets
many items such as the briefcases and messenger bags convert to backpacks
shoulder straps have pads and are fully adjustable
Imagine the panic of losing your precious luggage in the airport with no way for the finder to return it… If they would be so honest. This luggage tag is a classy ticket to getting your precious travel bag back at a pretty fair price.
The tag is stamped from a solid piece of .4 gauge brass. It looks and feels substantial, there is no doubt it will last just as long as the bag. The small leather strap that comes with it probably won’t last a long time but at the price an alternative can be found. On the Saddleback Leather Thin Briefcase it looks stunning and receives constant attention.
Click on the box below to go to Ebay, purchase the tag, fill out the seller’s custom form, and soon receive this excellent luggage tag.
It was handmade (obviously) in Morocco and given to Jamin as a gift. I know some people who demand only the straightest of stitching and finest of construction and may turn their nose up at this unique piece, but I would not. How cool is leather hand-fashioned into a satchel by someone on the other side of the world? It tells a vague story about the realm outside our little world. There are other people who live different lives and have different priorities that make things. Chances are these profits fed a family.
