English Bikers Turned Japan's Finest Nylon Bags Into Leather Jackets
PORTER has been creating all kinds of nylon military-inspired bags for almost a century, and yet it's still finding new avenues to take its bagmaking craft. Last year, in honor of the Japanese bag-maker’s 90th year, it devised carryalls for everyone from photographers to audiophiles to studious readers. Next up? Bikers. Of the motorcycle variety.
It might now technically be PORTER’s 91st year in business, but the brand’s birthday celebrations continue. Its latest anniversary collection is a link-up with Lewis Leathers, the UK's oldest motorcycle apparel label.
Based only on the name of this biker brand, you should be able to guess where this is going. Yes, Lewis Leathers has transformed PORTER’s nylon bags into leather bags.
Lewis Leathers’ finest cowhide, typically utilized for its biker jackets, decks out six PORTER products from its crossbody helmet bag to a tiny wallet.
Diamond quilting graces each item in the vein of Lewis Leathers’ signature Super Monza rider’s jacket, a slightly longer version of a classic that’s since become the standard. But only one bag is a three-way collaboration.
WOLF'S HEAD, a Tokyo label specializing in hand-studded leather biker accessories, customized the most exclusive of these limited-edition leather bags with shiny accents aplenty. The WOLF’S HEAD version retails at ¥330,000 (around $2,130) while the rest of the bags are priced between ¥39,600 and ¥165,000 (that’s from $255 to $1,065).
PORTER’s collaboration arrives hot on the heels of two more belated birthday collections, with ex-Apple designer Marc Newson and with incense maker Ballon. Since so few brands reach 90 years in the biz, let alone ones with a singular focus like bagmaking, who can blame PORTER for wanting to keep the party going?
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