Palmer & Sons, Revisited.

A while back, Yarrell -N. High Def introduced you to the gorgeous Leather Suitcase No 3 M bag from Vancouver based designers Palmer & Sons. Ever since then, the correspondence between Palmer & Sons and myself have led up to the start of a great relationship for both artist and merchant. I’d call it ‘Traditional Craftsmanship meets Modern Style Purveyors”. What ties us together is our desire to appreciate heritage materials, quality construction, and classic appeal in the pieces we come across. That, and the fact that we both Love doing what we do.  Keeping that in mind, I’d like this opportunity to tell you a bit more about Palmer & Sons, and what you can find from them on Mancessory.com coming soon.

Nik Palmer and his well traveled son Jack are craftsmen who really put their own muscle into the bags that they produce. Mr. Palmer spends 4-5 days a week in his home studio, based in Vancouver, CA producing one bag at a time, by hand. The Palmers are actually from Northeast England. So it was in a peaceful British accent that Mr. Palmer described to me the way he likes to work. Listening to Mr. Palmer tell their creative process reminded me of the many house reconstruction projects I’ve worked on with my own father. Whistling, moving slow, making precise cuts using our woodshop machines, and trying to show up my dad with as many macho one-liners as I can think of. But, I digress. Back to Bags. The Palmers literally start with a piece of leather, which they store in-studio. Staging the process one stitch at a time, they take their time and put on all the bells, whistles, buttons and everything else to make the masterpieces you see on theirwebsite. When a bag is done, they take to the camera to produce their own images of the newly created masterpiece.

As Mr. Palmer would say, “That’s it. That’s the whole thing.” It sounds simple. A bit Mom & Pop-ish. And well, that’s because it is. Gentlemen (and Ladies) this is Style in pure form. It is quite likely that one bag won’t mirror the next exactly, because they are made by Hand! We encourage that type of imperfection. It breeds class, beauty, and strength, all in the bag.  The Palmers seem to have truly mastered their craft.

We’re looking forward to showcasing some very well made bags from these guys, starting with the tote bag that Palmer & Sons are busy crafting for us now, available exclusively onMancessory.com this September. Why a tote bag? Easy answer: Mr. Palmer and I have both noted quite a few canvas bags, but not very many quality leather tote bags available for the distinguished gentleman. The phrase “If you want something done right, then do it yourself” comes to mind. Therein lies the essence of doing anything worth talking about; A sincere desire to fill a perceived void.  For an idea of what we’ll be coming out with, take a look at the Leather Gladstone No 10 L bag. It’ll be in that family of bags, but completely different and unique to itself. There will be more to show in about 6 weeks, when the limited run line is available for sale here at Mancessory.com.

Be you in Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York, London, Tokyo or on a path less traveled, it will not matter. This is for the traveler in you, so tote your wears anywhere you’d like to. Like the Palmers, we too feel that they speak to a slow, calm, and more enjoyable mode of life, wherever you are. We’ll be seeing you around.