Craftsmanship Explored

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Craftsmanship

We approach the design process with a singular attention to detail, stripping down every element of the bags until only the essentials remain. Ours is both an exploration and a celebration of aesthetic sustainability. Combining vegetable tanned full-grain leather, premium Italian fabrics and sturdy brass hardware, we strive to find the right balance of versatility, durability and winning looks. These materials combine with skilled craftsmanship to achieve the longevity we demand from our bags.

Vegetable-tanned bridle leather in combination with luxurious Italian fabrics and sturdy brass hardware form the backbone of our designs.

Seasonal jacquard weavings are developed in close collaboration with our long-term Italian textile partner, Limonta.

Fabrics

All of our fabrics are sourced from Europe, with renowned, century-old Italian textile producer, Limonta acting as our main supplier. Since our launch in 2006, we have worked with more than 100 fabrics, continuously experimenting with different weavings in order to offer luggage that is both distinctive and well-made. This has given us incredibly varied insights into the capabilities of fabrics, ranging from natural cotton canvases to bullet proof nylons, and custom-developed jacquard weavings. Using this knowledge, we have chosen the ideal fabrics for each of our three fabric collections: Legacy, Appearance and Expression.

Our permanent nylon fabrics (Navy, Concrete, Black, Skagerrak and Deep Blue), are entirely waterproof and will stand up to the test of any given autumn downpour.

All of our fabrics including cotton and linen are treated with a water-repellent coating which keeps them dry in light downpours.

Leather

Leather forms the backbone of our designs, strengthening the bags and allowing them to stand up to their full potential. We source our leather from Turkey and Italy where it comes from farm-raised European cattle. Using only full-grain, vegetable tanned leather means that we use only the hide's top grain and avoid using harmful chemicals in its processing; utilising an age old tanning process that allows the leather to stay as true as possible to its original look, and to develop a rich patina as it ages. Full-grain leather is the best quality leather available, maintaining its strength over time and demonstrating the full rich texture of the original cowhide. Read more about the different types of full-grain leather here.

A natural-coloured Cards with a dark and beautiful tabac toned patina achieved after more than 10 years of use.

We use vegetable-tanned bridle leather throughout our Fabric Collection both as trimming and to provide support and structure to the bag.

Production

When you leave your products stripped down to the bare essentials, it’s of the utmost importance that every detail, from the stitchings to the edge paint, is perfect. All of our products are made in Istanbul, Turkey by skilled craftspeople with whom we are proud to have built a strong relationship with over the last fifteen years. We’ve chosen to work with manufacturers in Turkey because of the country’s impressive and longstanding tradition within the fields of handcrafted goods. Its proximity also allows us to make frequent visits to check in on production and enjoy the charm and beauty of historic Istanbul.

Leather cutter and marker in one – the most treasured tool of our Maestro and sample maker.

Though modern-day technology facilitates fast, digital design delivery, we still prefer the 1:1 drawing on manifold paper and the personal exchange that allows for detailing, authenticity and human touch that computers simply cannot replicate.

Zippers

We exclusively use YKK Excella zippers. The YKK Excella is the Rolls Royce of zippers, with every element, down to the teeth, perfected and hand-polished. YKK is a Japanese company that has been producing zippers since 1934 and has become the world standard. A smooth zipper is indispensable to a well-made bag, after all it should add utility and beauty to the bag rather than taking away from it.

Golden brass zippers are used throughout the Appearance, Legacy and Full-Grain Collections.

The Expression Collection features Excella gun-metal zippers.

Hardware

We source all of our hardware from Italy, working with specific articles that we’ve been using and testing for more than 12 years. We only use classic hardware pieces that we know will stand the test of heavy daily wear, like the sailor hooks that appear in many of our designs. Our hardware is chosen for its durability, which is why we only work with articles made from solid brass material, either featuring an antique golden coating or a sleek gun-metal coating.

The famous sailor hook seen here in our customised golden coating as well as in the gun-metal finish.

The accessories come to life when paired with the bridle leather and exclusive fabrics.

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