A Look Into The Dobre Backpack
My most recently finished custom design was a backpack made for a client’s upcoming trip to Dominica. Since she will be using it for both travel and hiking, she requested padded shoulder straps, a lined interior with a pocket that comfortably holds a phone and passport, and an exterior pocket on the side of the bag for her water bottle.
I have historically been a “backpack gal”. Backpacks have been my main carry for work, errands, and day-to-day stuff for most of my life (until I created my Shoulder Bag which has been my main carry for the past year). I think I first fell in love with backpacks in high school when I discovered my deep infatuation with vintage. I loved a little 60’s vintage outfit paired with a leather backpack (in a nutshell, “Anywhere Adventure Wear”). My personal style has changed since then but my love for a super classic leather backpack has remained. So, my intuition with this custom design was to focus on a traditional, ageless aesthetic. I always consider those adjectives because that is what creates an easily identifiable heirloom product. I can see this bag being passed onto my client’s son one day.
The materials that make up this bag are, quite simply, divine. The leather is a traceable leather from Pergamena. It is velvety smooth and has a squishy feeling to it, it made the end product so incredibly comfortable.
The lining is a GOTS certified organic cotton dry oilskin fabric. I bought it from Bolt & Spool in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood. If you work with fabric and haven’t been to this store I highly recommend visiting! They have a thoughtful selection of fabrics and patterns and I think this little shop belongs in a romcom, for sure. When I first bought fabric from there I nearly melted when they cut the yardage and wrapped it up for me with brown paper and twine. Sigh!
I typically don’t line bags but some people prefer it. So if I do line a bag, I am very particular about the type of lining. Bags get a lot of wear and tear, and fabric doesn’t hold up the same way leather does. But a fabric like this holds up! Oilskin was originally invented for sailors and fishermen to be able to withstand harsh weather conditions out at sea. It was originally developed in 1898 by a New Zealand sailor who painted fabric with linseed oil and wax. The fabric that I worked with for this backpack is dry, not waxy, because it was finished with a “…combination of dry emulsified wax and soft aero tumbling and contains no fluorocarbon chemicals. The process binds a wax-based product with water to give a non-oily finish. The solutions are heat-processed into the cloth for a longer lasting finish and higher performance.” (I copied this text from the product description on Bold & Spool’s website). The effect is there but the touch feels like normal canvas, it’s almost like the wax is hidden in the fabric.
The padding in the straps are made using an alpaca-wool felt that I bought from Roving Acres Farm. Typically straps are padded with foam and most foam is poly (which is plastic) and bought from big box stores. I knew there must be a more sustainable route, so I looked on Rust Belt Fibershed’s Producers Page and found Roving Acres Farm that has felt for sale. I got to meet the owner of the farm, Beth. She hand delivered the felt to me and it was so lovely to connect with her face to face! This felt was so incredibly soft, it was a treat to handle it. I was sad covering it up but as I touched the finished backpack strap and felt its softness and bounce, I was grateful for the alpaca and sheep. And I’m also grateful for Beth for putting their cut hairs to use, which created such a comfortable bag for travel.
The hardware is antiqued solid brass, I currently only know of online shops that sell high quality handbag hardware. I do have a dream, though… I dream to eventually work with a local metalsmith to source all of my hardware and also have it designed specially for Harkin. We’ll get there one day!
Oooh, it is always so exciting to see all the pieces come together, especially when creating a bag that has so many parts to it. I absolutely loved making this bag and I even got to try out a couple of new techniques that I haven’t incorporated into leather construction before. I think I’ll have to squeeze another bag design into my calendar this year that is just for me!
My friend Sarah captured the photos below of the backpack on a film camera. She has been a wonderful friend to have camaraderie in fashion and sustainability. I have learned a lot from her as she is a fashion historian scholar—her mind knows and thinks beautiful things! Please do yourself a favor and check out some of Sarah’s work, here.
