Why The Weekender Is the Most Stylish Way to Travel
In today's Product Focus, we explore the bag has that has without doubt the most stylish reputation, the iconic Weekender. The effortlessly cool and modern Weekender is a life-lasting bag that only gets better with age.
View the Collection: The Weekender
THE ORIGINS OF THE WEEKENDER
The Weekender become popular after the Second World War, and was initially known as a duffle bag. It was used extensively by British and American servicemen and was produced in a variety of sizes and designs. At the end of the war the duffel bag, like other military equipment, found its way into army surplus stores and was appropriated as a style accessory by surfers in California and Australia.
The Weekender then found its way into Hollywood movies where stars such as Steve McQueen in The Great Escape added further star dust to the Weekender, as the bag started to develop its iconic status. It's from these early origins that the Weekender has always had a touch of rebel to it when compared to a traditional suitcase.
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21st Century Fashion Icons
The turn of the 21st century lead to modern male celebrity having more influence on style and fashion than ever before, with the likes of David Beckham often seen across airports with their Weekenders, perfect for shorter journeys and cabin baggage.
It was around this time that the term ‘weekend bag’ or ‘weekender’ became the adopted name of this style of holdall bag.
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The rise in popularity and cool factor from celebrity endorsements enabled menswear retailers and designers to include the Weekender within their collections, playing with materials, size and colour in the process. Leather became particularly popular for its durability and how it naturally developed its own unique character over time.
The 2010s saw new a generation of celebrities such Harry Styles often pictured with their trusty Weekender.
WHY DID WE CHOOSE LEATHER & WAXED COTTON?
We offer our Weekenders in three colours and designs: a classic brown leather and a navy or olive waxed cotton. The leather used on our weekender bags is made from premium 100% Italian vegetable-tanned leather, providing a soft and supple hand-feel, yet highly durable and long-lasting.
For very similar reasons we selected to use that classic British fabric, waxed cotton, most commonly associated with the waxed field jacket. It is also well-known for developing its own unique patina over time, while the leather handles and trims complement it beautifully.
Our waxed cotton is supplied by our partner company that has been producing waxed cotton for more than a century. A unique fabric for luggage, these bags will most certainly get you noticed.
WHAT REALLY GIVES A WEEKENDER ITS CHARACTER?
How many products can you think of that actually get better as they age? There really aren't that many, but leather and waxed cotton products do fall into this relatively rare category.
Leather and waxed cottons are natural fabrics that absorb what they come into contact with, the oils on your hands, water, sunlight etc all have an impact on the appearance of the fabric, adding a sheen to some parts, while others will naturally darken over time. Added to this you get all the scuffs and wear & tear of travelling with your Weekender that give it added markings which means over time your bag just oozes character.
All of these factors mean that your Weekender will develop its own unique patina and no two bags will ever look alike.
The natural patina does not affect the life or functionality of the fabric, it only enhances the look and feel. In this way your bag will eventually tell the story of its life and that of its owner. There is no doubt there is a romance around this that you don't get with a battered old suitcase.
WHAT DESIGN FEATURES ARE INCLUDED IN OUR WEEKENDERS?
Our Weekenders are designed with function and extreme longevity in mind, below we outline a few of these key features.
Leather Handles
The handles on our Weekenders have been sanded and burnished by expert craftsmen for the ultimate comfort when held. As a result, our handles have extremely smooth edges and are more durable than the standard painted handles to ensure long-lasting use.
Solid Brass Hardware
Our bags are finished with solid brass hardware, always an indicator of quality. Solid brass comprises pure brass through an alloy of various metals, which means it is dense and highly durable when compared to other lower cost metals.
Riri Zips & Leather Zip Pullers
We use Riri zips across our Luggage and Bags Collection, a premium zip manufacturer based in Switzerland with over 80 years of experience. The zips used on our bags are considered the best in the world, with a sturdy feel and buttery smooth operation, ensuring quality and durability.
Internal Pockets
Our Weekender are fitted with internal pockets for easy access and storing essential items such as your wallet, keys or passport.
Flat Base
Our Weekenders come with an internal flat base structure to protect the bag's shape, ensuring optimum capacity and size whilst also protecting the bag from bowing. They are also fitted with an external leather base to protect the base of the bag.
Proudly Made In England
Our bags are all handmade England, by our expert craftsmen who bring together decades of skills and knowledge in the leather goods industry. They use traditional handcraft techniques combined with contemporary equipment to produce the finest bags that are genuinely, 100% made in England.
Finally, we have unseen details on our luggage and bags that aren’t visible but are important to us, as they represent the absolute quality of the product. For example, the back of the handles are also dyed, which can only be seen if the tip ends are peeled back. To us it's the small details that matter.
