The No. 12 Leather Tote is one of the newest bags in our collection, with a structured, feminine appearance that’s perfect as both a handbag and substitute briefcase. As an elegantly streamlined bag with an ultra-lightweight frame, it’s important that each of its many pieces be cut precisely and accurately. Luckily for us, our artisans know exactly what they’re doing. 

Because this item is fully leather-lined, it contains twice as many pieces as the average tote. This means that the components of the No. 12 need to be doubly inspected for imperfections as opposed to an unlined bag like our Working Tote: what’s on the inside matters just as much as what’s on the outside. Marks, blemishes, or grain inconsistencies are just some of the things we look for when putting together the veritable puzzle that is a bag—if any of these are present, it’s back to square one for that strap, cover, or lining. 

When all the pieces of the No. 12 Tote have been cut and sorted according to grain and thickness, they’ll go to the splitting station. This is where we fully even out that thickness to give the eventual finished product the balanced equilibrium that allows it to stand on its own whether full or empty. Read on next week to see what stage of production the No. 12 has achieved next.

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