All the pieces of our new No. 12 Leather Tote have now been cut, and today, they’re being split. As a bag that requires a lot of structure and style, splitting the No. 12 Tote is an act that has the ability to truly make or break its functionality. Perfectly evening out the weight of every piece allows it to stand on its own when empty and hold its shape without collapsing—so if any of these weights are off, it’ll be instantly evident.
Variations by even one-tenth of an inch can mean the difference between a balanced bag and one that falls over, loses structure and is overall less uniform. Because of this, we take extra care to measure every piece’s thickness after running it through the splitting machine before sorting them all by exact weight. By pairing split pieces of equal thickness together and laminating them, they gain a plywood-light lightness and sturdiness that do wonders for aesthetics and resilience.
Ultimately, the No. 12 Tote is made so much better by this step. Although it’s time-consuming and a bit labor-intensive, splitting our leather allows us to be true to our quality-based values and to feel good about the integrity of each bag that goes out the door. Next week, the No. 12 Tote will be even further on its road to completion; check back on Monday to see what we’re doing.
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