The Wren — Woven Leather Tote Bag in Cognac

Cognac gives the Wren the warmth that a woven bag needs to avoid looking like a craft project. The amber tone sits differently on each strand depending on how it was cut from the hide, so the panel has a low shimmer that a flat leather bag cannot produce.

It comes in two sizes. The small is 11.75″ (30 cm) wide, 9.5″ (24 cm) high and 4.75″ (12 cm) deep, with a 9″ (23 cm) handle drop, and takes up to an 11-inch tablet, no laptop. The regular is 15″ (38 cm) wide, 11″ (28 cm) high and 5.5″ (14 cm) deep, with a 10.25″ (26 cm) handle drop, and takes up to a 13-inch laptop. Pick the size in the menu above; the price changes with it.

Buy it if a plain leather tote feels too plain and a straw bag feels too casual.

The leather

Cognac is full grain finished with a light wax rather than a topcoat. Each strand is cut at a consistent 12mm from the same hide as our flat panel bags and woven over a leather backing, which is the step most woven totes skip. Expect it to move about half a shade darker in the first year, most obviously along the handles.

How it is made

No edge paint anywhere on the bag, and no glued handle tabs, which are the two places a cheap tote gives way. Every cut edge is sanded and burnished in four passes rather than painted, so it cannot flake off in a strip. The lining is heavy cotton twill with a zip pocket and two open pockets sized for a phone and a pass. Built to order, out of the workshop in 4 to 6 working days, plus a day if you want initials on it.