Friday Favourite: Tusting Clipper leather bag made in England

I'd been looking for a useful bag for months. It had to be a comfortable shoulder bag, not too bulky, and take what I need for blogging; a camera, notebook, pens, newspaper, phone, bottle of water and biscuits for emergencies. And, of course, it had to look stylish. 

I chose the Tusting Clipper in Aztec crazyhorse, an attractive leather finish that prevents the bag looking too formal. It has a compact, yet roomy, shape and is now in use for everything from blogging to shopping.

A well-designed bag that is highly recommended. Made in a Buckinghamshire village by Tusting. For more about this family business, visit their website here and buy a bag for life (they'll maintain it for you as well).

And until Christmas visit the pop-up shop at 39 Jermyn Street London where Tusting is joined by a number of the best Made in England menswear suppliers, including Marwood, Alice Made This and Hamilton & Hare.

Emma Cornes talks about her British-made bags and manufacturing in the UK

Emma Cornes grew up in the Tweed Valley where here father was a wool-producing sheep farmer. It's therefore natural, perhaps, that she should have become a passionate producer of British-made bags, designing and selling her products from her base in Cheshire. 

Many of Emma's bags are designed for men, so I asked Emma to tell us something about her business. For more information on the bags, or to visit her shop, go to her website.

Last year’s Sadler messenger bag. Emma plans to launch this year’s version with leather base in Autumn 2014.

Emma's Cheshire studio - leatherwork laid out ready for another batch of bags

"How it all began

It all started with a little domestic sewing machine at the kitchen table. That and a love for Scottish woven cloth and a frustration at not being able to find a new bag. 

I’m the kind of person who only ever has one bag at a time. It has to work for every occasion. I’d use them until they were threadbare, then struggle to find a replacement. I guess I probably shouldn’t be a bagmaker, but it turns out I’m not the only person who uses bags this way.

Emma's range of iPad sized Fairweather messenger bags, including a couple of special editions in Dashing Tweeds cloth

I started my bag making journey with the source of all knowledge - Google. A few YouTube tutorials later I just got stuck-in. The first months were spent making really awful bags, but after a while I had a few that were acceptable enough to take along and test at a few local markets. 

After a while I was getting the hang of things and people liked what I was doing. And once word got round loads of people offered my help with everything from leatherwork to coping with cash flow.

Emma's stand at Olympia in 2014 - how things have moved on

Almost two years to the day since I first fired up my little Singer I found myself knocking at the door of a noisy Victorian building in the Midlands. I was there to deliver materials for our first batch of bags to be made by a manufacturer rather than by myself.

Why outsource our manufacture?

2013 was crazy. I made and sold just under 300 bags, got an online shop up and running, exhibited at 17 shows up and down the country, designed and launched 10 different products…The problem was I had no time to do anything else. I was making lots of bags, but had no time to tell anyone about them. Something had to change.

My husband Pete joined the business full time in January. The first and biggest decision we made was to move manufacture out of our house to free up out time. After some research and a bit of experimenting we decided we’d like to hire the service of another manufacturer. 

Emma's bags were originally designed for women, but her simple, classic designs have proved popular with men.

How did we find our manufacturer?

They found us. We’re fortune that the British manufacturer we’ve decided to use actually approached us at an event. From their initial enthusiasm about working with us to the ease of getting great samples made I know they’re going to make a great job. I suspect I’ll be one of the few people who can tell the bags I’ve made apart from the ones they’re making right now – and that’s nothing to do with quality, just the quirks of different sewing machines.

Events like Meet the Manufacturer in London in June have sprung up since I started – I wish I could’ve gone along to something like this a year ago.

What am I working on now?

Since handing over the manufacturing I’ve got time for the fun bit again – designing bags and making prototypes. The first on my list in to create a new version of my Sadler messenger bag (Sadler, not Saddler, named after my friend Tim). This year the Sadler is going to have a full grain leather base and I complete re-design of the internal pockets. Hopefully my new Sadler bags will be ready for the Autumn.

Although I started with the aim of making bags for women it turns out that men love our bags too. And not just to buy as gifts. Last year our messenger bags went to just about as many men. So if you’d like an Emma Cornes bag made by me, Emma, you’d best hurry up. The new bags should arrive in July."

Healthy Back bags - minimising back problems

Like many of us, I  occasionally suffer from back problems linked to carrying heavy bags over one shoulder. I often carry a camera, lens, notebook and various tools of the blogger's trade - the weight of which can add up. To minimise the problem, I've been using a Healthy Back bag, developed specifically to combat the problems of weight stress caused by carrying a single strap bag. 

Healthy Back bags - The Vintage Canvas (L) and Expedition (R)

The problem with most bags is that they pull away from the body, causing you to compensate by leaning and twisting. The fact is, the more places a bag touches your body when you wear it, the lighter it feels – it becomes part of you – and this encourages good posture. The Healthy Back Bag’s patented shape contours to your spine, rather than pulling away from your body. It distributes the weight across your back, rather than pulling down from one point on your shoulder. I find it very comfortable to use and have had no problems after using one to carry my gear around in.

For SS14 Healthy Back bags have introduced a range of colours and designs, from camo khaki to bright pastel hues and in a range of fabrics and textures. I tend to go for the more sober - but there are colours for all tastes. See the website at www.thehealthybackbag.co.uk/

My Millican bag - an update

A few weeks ago I introduced you to my new Millican bag, Harry the Gladstone (see my post here). As promised then, I'm going to tell you more about it, having used it several times.

Harry and I have been to Paris, Manchester and made a couple of visits to my beloved Cumbria (coincidentally where Millican has its spiritual home). How have we got on?

Harry the Gladstone at Gare du Nord Station, Paris - Image Grey Fox

The bag is very well-designed and packed with features. Everything is where you need it - pockets, straps, buttons, a bag for shoes or dirty clothes and a well-balanced shoulder strap that enables it to be carried comfortably even when crammed full. You get the impression that it's been used and abused hard in the development stage, producing a product that is supremely fit for purpose.

The bag fitted everything I needed for a few days in Paris, but was easily portable and its stylish shape meant it never looked out of place in such a stylish destination.

All the materials have been sustainably produced and the organic cotton canvas will last a lifetime. The bag is a skilful mix of the traditional, in terms of appearance and manufacturing values, and the modern, in terms of design and practicality.

I'd recommend this bag to anyone. Indeed, I'm looking for a shoulder bag for my camera and blogger's notebook and and would buy another Millican product without hesitation. All that's stopping me is that I can't decide between Keith the Writer's Bag here or Mark the Field Bag here.

Visit Millican's website here.

This product was sent to me for review in accordance with my review policy here

A vintage man bag - a 1944 "Satchel Signal"

By "vintage man bag" I mean that the bag is vintage, not the man!

I'm laid up with a fractured knee following a cycling accident and using crutches means that I need a bag to hang around my neck to carry book, newspapers, phone etc. around the house. I have to thank my assistant for helping me get this post online.

What better than my vintage military "Satchel Signal - ZA 6282", bought at a cycle jumble a few years ago. I suspect it was used by motorbike messengers during the war. Maybe something for Nigel Cabourn to reproduce?

P.S. Having written the above I Googled "Satchel Signal" and, would you believe it, found a mine of information. Is there anything somebody DOESN'T collect? Apparently it would have been usually used for headsets for radios. Here's a link if you want to know more.