1. What’s in the Name - Sublevo
First lets start with the name since it sums up what this bag is about. Sublevo, is latin for ‘uplift’. I wanted the bag to give a boost to the style and personality of the person carrying and using it. Furthermore, I want the person carrying it to have a sense of confidence when they hold the bag.
2. Considering the Purpose
Messenger bags are usually used in the modern world as a practical bag that can hold a full day’s worth of items. A briefcase on the other hand is used purely for professional work. In a busy world these two requirements intersect quite often. I intended the Sublevo messenger bag to tackle both intersecting needs with a balance. It is both practical and professional looking. You can imagine this bag being your side kick as you take on the day.
3. Its Elegant and Minimalist
Designing a chique and sleek bag will always be my first preference. I imagine that you will be taking this bag when you go to work, meet clients, attending business meetings, conferences, and most probably meeting your friends or a date after work. Making a lasting impression will be definitely important to you. I visualIzed that others would uncontrollably take direct or discreet glances at your bag. Asking you about it while marvelling over its look and quality. With that in mind, the bag has a minimalist design.
I put all pockets inside the bag so that an uncomplicated exterior design and the character of the premium leather will grab everyone’s attention.
One thing I never liked about messenger bags and briefcases that I would carry to a professional setting is the jingling noise of hardware knocking on hardware. A professional ensemble to me must be subtle, somber and stealthy. In the Sublevo, the shoulder strap is connected with buckles instead of the D-Ring and swivel hook combination. I think I made a good choice when selecting the buckle design. I immediately fell in love with them. Let me know on Instagram or any other social media channel what you think of the buckle design (@ChapterOneLeather).
When considering the edge finishing for the main body, I was torn between two approaches. One is to burnish the raw edges which looks better the more it gets exposed to the elements. However, it does leave risk of moisture seeping in just in case it is exposed to heavy rain or snow for a long time. The other is to bind the edges at the joints which protects the edges and gives the bag a little structure. I opted for the bound edge mainly to prevent moisture seeping in - it was the higher priority. Also, when assessing the prototype the burnished edge looked casual and didn’t match the look I was going for (but it inspired me to make a casual satchel as another project. Stay tuned).
4. Timeless Style
The next important design consideration to me was the style format. As I said before, quality leather goods are definitely an investment. Therefore, it should not go out of style as seasons pass. It should top off whatever your fashion choice is throughout the years. The Sublevo has a traditional look with a modern twist to complement whatever season it maybe.
5. Heirloom Quality
I want this bag to be one of your family heirlooms. Quality and durability at ChapterOne Leather is never compromised.
The Leather: I used full-grain vegetable tanned Bovine leather from world renowned tanneries. Particularly from the Wicket and Craig tannery if you are going for standard colours and the Sepici tannery if you commission a custom colour. The leather from these two tanneries are globally recognized as premium leather.
The Cuts: The body panels, straps and handle are cut from the back section of the hide which we leatherworkers refer to as the Bend. The Bend is the strongest section of the hide with dense fibres. The rest are made from the shoulder section of the hide which ranks second where strength is concerned.
Structural Integrity: I thought long and hard about the traditional two front pockets and the back pocket in the exterior. I opted not to go with them. It was about durability as much as it was about aesthetics. To put two front pockets on the exterior means to stitch them to the front body panel. That means to perforate the body making it weaker. A backpack is usually worn on the shoulders with the straps lifting only the rear body panel of the bag. Unlike a backpack, a messenger bag and most briefcases, the bag is constantly held by the handle. The handle is connected to the closing panel which is connected to the front body panel. So, the front body panel is constantly subjected to stress. Any perforation weakens the panel. To compensate omitting the traditional two front pockets, I gave the bag a full length inner front pocket.
Deciding whether to keep or omit the back exterior pocket was a tough one. From the beginning I did not favour using any zippers. Zippers, no matter how superior in quality they are (I only use the premiums - Riri and YKK zippers ), they still wear out and often break. To overcome that I could have gone with an open pocket or a snap closure as a quick access pocket. Yet, quick access pockets pose a security risk especially when you travel or move around in a busy and distracting environment. So, I omitted the back pocket completely.
Hardware: The buckles are quality solid brass buckles with the respective colour coating. The stress points are reinforced with solid body copper or brass rivets and hidden under the lining and leather. To protect any tech devices, there is minimal contact of hardware with the items inside the bag.
Lining: The lining is Pig Skin Suede. Pig Skin suede affords the luxury of being tough even in lower thicknesses. No cotton or synthetic fabric is used with this bag.
Stitching: The entire bag is handmade. Hand cut, hand dyed if it is a custom colour, hand burnished, and hand stitched. This is why delivery of orders have a longer lead time. I take great pride in the finished quality of my hand stitching. The main reason for hand stitching is for strength and durability. I use a saddlers stitch which is two threads crossing each other from the same stitching hole. It is one of the most superior stitches in leatherwork. Even if one stitch accidentally cuts, the other thread still holds the connection together for years. There is nothing wrong with the aesthetics and quality of a machine stitch. It is just that a machine stitch is a single thread locking stitch. If you cut one stitch, the entire thread comes off. We don’t want that in a bag that we trust our personal and confidential stuff with do we? Imagine you are crossing a busy street and all of a sudden the bag hands over all your documents to the wind and the laptop to the asphalt?
The thread I use is the world renowned Ritza Tiger Thread. It is a finely braided waxed polyester thread which is flattened. So, it is smooth and strong. It is also UV resistant which means there is no colour fading. Leatherworkers across the globe swears by Tiger Thread.
6. Size and Capacity
The bag comes in two sizes. The Sublevo 13 and 15, where the numeric represents the screen size of the laptop it can hold. There are two pockets on each of the two gussets. They can hold your sunglasses, spectacles and your key chain. The inside front pocket can hold documents up to 1cm thick. The padded laptop pocket is towards the rear of the bag. The main compartment in the centre has a depth of 3 inches with ample space to carry a binder, water bottle, lunch box, a small bottle of cologne, and gym or change of clothes. The inner walls of the pockets has pen holders and utility pockets with one of them wide enough to hold a 10-inch tablet.
7. Carry and Comfort
In terms of how you would carry this bag, most certainly you would carry it 50/50 by the handle and on your shoulder. I wanted to make sure that the experience with the handle is just as amazing as it is comfortable carrying it on your shoulder. The handle has an elegant and sleek design which is a joy to hold. The shoulder straps are 1.5 inches wide and the padded shoulder pad is 3 inches wide and 12 inches long. This provides maximum comfort and balance when it is dropping from your shoulder. The size of the shoulder pad also provides good chest support if you happen to wear it cross-body. Previously, for almost 13 years I worked in the aviation industry and duty travel was part of my job. I fill my messenger bag with my most essential items good enough to cover me even if all of my checked luggage is mishandled. I have used messenger bags that looked absolutely amazing but would uncomfortably bite into my shoulders because of the weight. With Sublevo, I constantly reminded myself that it is one key issue I want to solve with my design.
In conclusion
Practicality, elegance, character, security, strength and durability were key design thinking applied when designing the Sublevo Messenger Bag. I hope that I have the honour of having you as one of my clients who experienced the Sublevo. If so, please do share with me on Instagram what your experience is. Your feedback is highly valued.
If you haven’t grabbed your own as yet, I would highly appreciate your business.
Shop Now: https://chapteroneleather.ca/collections/bags/products/sublevo-leather-messenger-bag
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Stay Awesome!
Sole-Artisan and Owner
ChapterOne Leather
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