Have our bovine friends ever been sacrificed for such a noble cause? Other than a Hawksmoor steak, the answer is ‘no’.
Time was, when all a gentlemen needed for transporting his paraphernalia was a wallet and a deep pocket. Maybe a weapons bag, if you go back to ancient Budo times, or a sporran, which the Scots have always found rather handy.
But whilst our knives and flints have gradually been substituted for iPads and Kindles, the need for a suitable vessel has remained constant. A good bag has always been a good bag, as this years crop of multi-purpose fine leather accoutrements clearly shows.
Oppermann is the latest label to emerge from East London, created by Swedish brothers Mattis (24) and Niklas (26) Oppermann, defined by a stylish aesthetic that is both clean and considered. And effortlessly neat.
The 40-strong collection, retailing from £35 to £369, includes bags, briefcases, card holders, iPad sleeves and wallets and is fashioned in vegetable tanned leathers in a rich palette of earthy colours including grey, chocolate, cognac, navy, racing green, burgundy or black.
The hero piece of the collection is the 25-hour Palissy Bag, fashioned in black, grey, navy or cognac vegetable tanned leather. The perfect carry-on piece, it is a cross between a briefcase and an overnight bag and will hold a laptop and all the essentials needed for a quick trip. There’s also the Vallance, instantly identifiable because of its curved handles and flash of contrasting lining in the front compartment.
But don’t whatever you do, refer to either the Palissy, or indeed Goswell or Vallance as a ‘man bag’. “My British friends say that Oppermann makes ‘man bags’, but it’s really only a description you find here” explains Niklas. “After all, from briefcases to backpacks, men have been carrying bags long before we gave bags a gender. So I compromise by saying that we make bags for men.”
The collection sells on the company’s website oppermann-london.com.