Horween Briefcase - Natural Essex

We worked for a long time to bring our dreams of a Horween bag to life. The group of craftsmen we finally went with have been making bags in California longer than I’ve been alive. It’s in their blood. Yes, it’s their job, but it’s also their hobby and passion. They eat, breathe and live making some of the finest bags in the country.

The design of the bag is clean, functional and classic. There’s a single zipper compartment with a solid-brass two-way YKK #10 zipper. In lieu of the standard brass pulls, we’re making our own from the same Horween leather as the bag, and riveting them. The handles are made of a burnished Horween latigo leather in a matching color. They are riveted and sewn to the sides of the bag for an extra-durable connection. An adjustable shoulder strap is also made of this latigo leather, and provides additional carrying options for your commute. On the interior of the bag, we’re using a heavyweight waxed canvas for the two interior dividers (one on each side). Each of these dividers / laptop sleeves is large enough to fit a 15" MacBook Pro. Sewn into the right side one is a leather organizer with pockets for pens, business cards, and your phone. Lastly, we've finished these briefcases with feet sewn on the bottom for extra durability.

For the leather, we went to The Horween Leather Company in Chicago. They have been in the leather game since 1905, and have developed some of the most durable and beautiful leathers on the market (from Shell Cordovan to the leather used for NFL footballs). For these briefcases, we selected their Essex line. Essex is the result of an experiment where Horween asked themselves - “what if we take a top quality cowhide and tan it with the same liquor we use to tan shell cordovan?". The result is a beautiful, durable leather that has a particularly rich coloring. We're using their natural color - it starts off as a light brown, and will darken and age beautifully with time.