I initially designed this bag because I wanted something very minimal to just carry my wallet, keys a book and a passport when traveling abroad. I tried to distill the design to the most bare essentials while repurposing materials. With simplicity in mind the strap is made from vintage sewing machine belt held in place by knots, the length of the strap can be adjusted by tying a knot along the length of the cord making it possible to use the bag as a crossbody or tight and snug under arm which is great in crowded airports and or trains. Made from repurposed Japanese “Maekake” aprons, lined with Japanese cotton and with a solid brass YKK zipper this bag will age beautifully much like a pair of jeans. These bags are made from vintage indigo aprons and each one is one of a kind so imperfections and fading are to be expected.
Maekake aprons have been around for around 400 years, made to be rugged these aprons were traditionally worn by workers in breweries, fish markets and small manufacturing plants. The aprons I use are produced in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture (the last remaining area of maekake production in Japan) and loomed on century-old Toyota shuttle looms (yes, the car company, which originally started out as a loom manufacturer).