Pink Suede Tote with Raw Edges

A sample that was never meant to sell, and came out better than the plan

I built this tote to see what would happen. No order, no client, no brief. A pink suede outside, a raw natural leather inside, and a pair of edges I decided not to paint.

It came out great. I like it enough that I will make more.

Two leathers, one bag

The body is soft natural vegetable tanned leather. Undyed, supple, the color of the hide itself. Over it sits the outside: Italian calf suede, smooth and soft, in pink.

Britannica defines suede as leather with a soft, velvety nap, made by buffing the inner side of the hide, and lists calf among the skins used. The Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s conservation wiki, CAMEO, says hides from young animals such as calf and kid give finer suede than adult hides, and gives the weak point: suede has no tough outer grain, so it is less durable than good grain leather, soaks up liquid and stains more easily.

I weigh it the way I weigh any suede. Calf suede runs tougher than sheepskin suede and feels more velvety, and it will take on some patina over the years. The natural vegetable tan underneath will do the same. Two materials, aging at two speeds, on one bag.

The edges

Painting an edge is the standard finish in my shop. Latex paint made for veg tan leather, sealed and smooth. On the briefcases I do it without thinking.

I have also said, in other videos, that burnished edges are more durable than painted ones. Paint is a rubbery coat, not a dye, and it wears off eventually. It is easy to touch up.

Here I stopped. I had started painting the inside edges black, and while I was stitching it together I changed my mind. The black made the bag look heavy. Without it the bag looked lighter. So the edges stay open, and a thin line of natural vegetable tan shows where the suede ends.

I made a second tote the same size and style, with the suede wrapped around the edges. I like how the pink and the natural tan meet on the edge of this one, and I left it.

Handles and lock

The handles are flat and double lined, two layers of vegetable tanned leather stitched together. They are cut from the same natural leather as the body, so they read as a pale cream against the pink. A wide strap of the same leather runs down the front and carries the lock.

The lock is a brass key lock, nickel coated, made by an Italian craftsman, and it is very well made. A key lock on a tote is a small joke I enjoy. The bag looks casual and closes with a key.

Who it is for

Someone casual who wants a girly color but wants it rustic. That is the whole customer. The open edges and the natural leather keep the pink from turning precious.

For sale

This is the only one, an experimental sample, and it is for sale. It is not on the website yet. If you are interested, reach out through the contact page, or check back in a day or so when I put it up.

Sources

• Suede (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• Suede leather (CAMEO, Museum of Fine Arts Boston)
• Marcellino NY contact page

How it is made

The key lock is one of my high-end handmade locks, made by hand with brass parts, not the zinc pot metal found on most bags.

The suede is real: see the suede lining page for why I use it instead of microsuede, and the care page for how to look after it.

Veg tan is covered in Bridle Leather vs. Vegetable-Tanned: What the Difference Means in Your Hands and on my care page.

The seams are hand stitched; see The Saddle Stitch Explained: Hand-Sewing Leather Step by Step for the method.