Wedge handbag - French lamb leather in Cherry red - Luxury edition *05

For years a daydream of mine has been wondering what happens when every detail of my Wedge handbag design is executed to the highest level of hand craftsmanship?

To find out, I’ve collaborated with friend Mark Hanks who is an expert in European traditional leather working and does the most beautiful work.

We have collaborated to make this Cherry red lamb leather Wedge handbag fully lined with turquoise blue lambskin lining (with interior pocket), red stitch detail and matching edge paint.

• Individually made, one of a kind piece
• Measures approximately 10” wide x 27” overall drop (similar scale to my standard Wedge bag 10 inch size)
• Uniquely marked and numbered *05
• Includes dust bag and certificate of authenticity
• Ships to you in a handmade storage box, as shown in photos

Some of my favorite details:

Super slouch

In some previous collaboration pieces, we have utilized firmer handbag leathers to accentuate the crisp straight lines of the wedge bag form. For this version I wanted to accentuate the slouchiness of the form. To do so took some clever thinking.

It's not traditional in leather work to line lambskin with lambskin like this, as it telegraphs textures (eg interior stitch lines). Mark came up with clever lamination method that would allow us to both keep the inner pocket and maintain the overall SUPER slouched silhouette that I wanted to achieve.

This bag is the softest soft leather tote. You will love to squeeze it in your hands!

Hand stitching

Mark drawing from his Hermès lineage classical training, shows off his incredible saddle stitching and edge treatment skills.

Each stitch is individually hand pierced with a diamond-shaped awl then stitched through with a single thread and two needles, one at each end of the thread.

Traditional french style edge finishing

Notice that crease that runs parallel to the edge line? Using a special tool, that crease is hot-ironed into the leather in the traditional french style, showing the edges have been heat sealed.

After ironing Mark sands and paints those edges in multiple rounds to get the perfect finished cross section. Not only does this finish look sleek but it helps to protect the handbag from moisture. 

Luxury grade leather

We are using a French lamb leather known as Protege from the Bodin Joyeaux tannery, founded in 1860, in France. This is the same excellent leather used by luxury handbag brands (think Fendi, Hermès).

The Protege leather offers a silky touch and exceptional depth of color.

It is a full grain leather (meaning the entire thickness of the dermis) that is extremely strong yet also soft. Imagine the softest leather jacket you've ever touched, but softer. The depth of color speaks for itself in these eye popping images.

Shoulder grip

A bit of suede texture will keep your bag in place on your shoulder; at the strap arc we’ve reversed a segment of leather to reveal the suede side.

Hand placed stitches in contrasting thread color highlight this sweet detail. 

Interior pocket

Mark suggested a gorgeous lined pocket shape which narrows at the bottom, gently gripping the base of your phone so that it doesn’t rattle inside as you walk. It’s a refined detail that I love.

It is a gorgeous piece fully living up to my imagination. It invites touch, it smells amazing, it even sounds magnificent (squeezing it sounds luxurious omg). 

• Designed and made in San Francisco
• Designed by, Jill Harrell
• Made by, Mark Hanks