I never thought I would create a leather bag under my label. But when my friend and collaborator Martel Francois asked me if it was possible for our collaboration between his lifestyle company, Martel B Francois NYC, and my shoe brand, J.FitzPatrick, to offer a bag I thought to myself ‘why not?!’ And so I found a supplier and we knocked out a sample. The sample came in quickly and it was perfect: A mid-size weekender bag in braided (Intrecciato) super supple black calfskin. A luxury bag for the ‘man on the go,’ as it were. And so here it is, currently on offer as a GMTO product. My business partner wrote a nice press kit-style blub about it so I will paste that below (in Italics). I try not to flood the blog with my brand as I want to be neutral but this, for me, was an achievement and is different from what I am normally speaking about. I thought you would all appreciate it as well.
Being that we both love braided products and no one really offers them outside of Bottega’s version for over $5000, we decided to go for that as we felt it really epitomized luxury and the finer side of things. And a good bag goes with a good pair of shoes. One cannot go knocking around in a gym bag wearing G&G’s or J.FitzPatrick for that matter. The details matter. And for us, it came out great. If you appreciate a nice bag, we know that you will enjoy this item.
Any help in spreading the word would be greatly appreciated and ordering one even more so ;-). It is simply a GMTO run product so it will be an exclusive item. We won’t try and become a bag supplier or anything like that. Just trying new things that keep in tune with luxury shoes and the men that use them.
Learn More: https://www.jfitzpatrickfootwear.com/collections/gmto-crowdfund
-Justin FitzPatrick
My company marketing below to learn about price, where made and any other details etc.
Our ongoing collaboration with NYC-based menswear and lifestyle consultant Martel B. François has broken new ground in the form of our first-ever weekender bag. Our aim was to create a luxury weekender suitable for the 21st-century gentleman on the move: A piece that would be fitting for either an afternoon meeting or a weekend getaway — and not just fitting, but stylish, too.
With this in mind, we designed a bag that is at once bold and subtle, appearing discreet to uninformed eyes but drawing the attention of your style peers. The J.FitzPatrick x Martel François weekender is made by hand from a supple black Italian calfskin, and sports a handsome “intrecciato” braided design — also entirely woven by hand.
The black calfskin is punctuated by silver-tone hardware, including five domed metal studs on the bottom to protect from wear. The interior is uninterrupted save for a single zipper pocket, and the carry handles are of course accompanied by a removable shoulder strap.
Made by hand in Florence, Italy, the new braided weekender whispers of style; it doesn’t scream it. It is the first hint of new things to come, and new heights to be explored, here at J.FitzPatrick. We can’t reveal too much today — so keep a look out!
All weekenders will be made-to-order and therefore non-refundable, with orders open through May 8th and delivery expected in mid July. The total price is $1650 plus any applicable shipping fees; for your convenience, the bag may be purchased with up front payment, or with a 50% deposit of $825 (remaining $825 + shipping balance due prior to final delivery). Furthermore, checkout can be completed through our partner Sezzle, breaking up the cost into 4 interest-free payments over the course of 6 weeks.
All weekenders will ship free to the continental US.
For more information, as well as technical details and dimensions, please refer to the weekender’s page here.
Jaw dropping bag. Indeed!
Thank you my friend !