The Luxury is in the process.... August 27 2014

We often get asked about how we make the bags so here's a little blog post about the making of the Hepburn Hip.  Most of our Hips are handcrafted at one of our local maker's studios, but we still make a few in house, especially the bespoke ones.  So here's how we do it...

First we need all the ingredients: 

Leather, Harris Tweed, black waxed cotton, cotton lining, heavy cotton webbing, O rings, Sam Browne, two forms of interlining (one waterproof), interfacing, labels. Our leather arrives in hide rolls and it's all handcut to the right size in the studio:

Once the interfacing is ironed on to the tweed, we use a protective spray that helps make the tweed water and stain resistant. Then we add the interlinings (our bags are strong!) then stitch on the front leather strap then add the Sam Browne stud:

We add the O Rings and the back pocket to the waxed cotton reverse and then mustn't forget the labels - our own and the Harris Tweed verification label.  

Putting the two sides together, we're almost there but it's time for a little pressing...

Next we create pockets and attach them to the lining and sew that onto the bag.  A quick flourish with the hands turning it all right side out and voila the bag is born, but it now needs another little pressing before we finish the top stitching:

Almost there - we just need to add the strap.  This is riveted on to the O rings - watch your fingers with that heavy hammer!  

We add a little noile of lavender to the inside, and now the bag is ready to leave the studio, to be loved and cared for by the new owner, wherever in the world they may be.  The Hepburn range is named after the wonderful Hollywood actress Katharine Hepburn - her masculine/feminine style is a real inspiration, not to mention her love of tweed.