This weekend I was privileged enough to get my hands on one of Holdall & Co.‘s beautiful leather folios. A versatile accessory to say the least, these leather crafted folios act as the perfect carrier for important work documents, Fashion Week notebooks or as chicest laptop case around.
Holdall & Co. is the outcome of a seven month exploration and development by designer Raimonda Navickaite, inspired by the designer’s own peronal collection of ‘made in England’ vintage cases and bags
“I love the fact that every item has lasted for so many years and that every good quality item blends with its owner like; where every mark or blemish has a story. I wanted to bring back the quality and values that these items had and to design a product that was timeless yet classically modern; a product that was made from the highest quality materials by expert hands so that it could go on to become a vintage piece with your own story.”
After traveling the country sourcing the best leather and scouting the best talent to produce the design, it was important to Raimonda that the cases were made in England by traditional case maker whose skills and expertise would not only ensure longevity for the folios but turn them into a unique piece of art.
A ‘for life’ design, the folios are a timeless style, crafted from smooth leather with a central compartment, fold-over flap with metal push-clasp fastening. The classic design was an important feature, allowing it to age gracefully without looking old in 10 years time. A logo-embossed stap to the back provides a quirky and handy place to store your daily broadsheets or even a must-needed umbrella.
The folios are designed with all of your modern essentials in mind and come in two colours (London Tan and Chestnut), in two sizes (12″ and 14″). The prices are at the higher end, but it’s clear on first site you are getting what you pay for, a British sourced, British made, British quality product that will stand the test of time.
- The Organized 12″ which is for everyday use and fits your notes and ideas; iPad, slimline laptop such as Macbook Air or even the Moleskin notebooks and a copy of the latest Monocle / Wired magazine. £185
- The Professional 14″ which is perfect for work and fits your documents and drafts; legal papers, your latest business plan or your slimline laptop such as the MacBook Pro. £210
The inside of the folios are not padded and show of the raw finish and quality of the leather. At first I was apprehensive of my laptop rubbing against the corse finish of the internal leather, but my 13″ MacBook Pro fit snug into the 14″ Professional, abating any pior reservations.
- Each folio starts life as a piece of naturally-tanned full-grain leather hide, bridle-finished to the brand’s specification by British leather finishers.
- Every hide is individually inspected and approved by Holdall & Co., before moving on to their local factory where it’s hand cut with either leather knives or with their specially made cutting blades (also made locally) to ensure the best finish.
- The panels are then formed, branded, heeled and sewn free-hand by talented leather workers. Finishing details are hand-stitched for a longer lasting finish.
- Edges are trimmed, sealed, dyed and polished, to ensure a stunningly beautiful and crisp finish.
- Finally, every bag is inspected, polished with a wax blend (specially formulated for Holdall & Co.) and wrapped in it’s protective dust-bag ready for shipping to you.
Buy your new go-anywhere folios over at www.holdallandco.com
Styling your new folio
For my little shoot with this gorgeous documents case, I had a little fun and styled it up with two looks; one for Fashion Week or formal function, and one for a creative meeting at work. This way I was able to show off these beautiful folios’ versatility.
In honour and homage of these chic folios, I kept the looks simple and effortless - block colours and tonal colours.
The Fashion Week look
Blazer Vivienne Westwood, shirt Smyth & Gibson, jeans Rick Owens, tie Topman, belt Dolce & Gabanna, shoes (out of shot) black Rockport brogues
The Creative Meeting look
Coat All Saints, jumper Uniqlo, shirt Selected, jeans Burberry, shoes Bertie
What do you guys think? Are you loving these folios as much as me? Let me know on twitter, or leave a comment below!
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