Co-founder, Mark Cho, explains his thought process behind this special collaboration.
I’m constantly on the move and regularly in airports, a stressful experience that can be mitigated by keeping a routine. Part of that routine is always knowing where items I might need are and having easy access to them. I wanted a lightweight briefcase that could hold a lot, travel well and be carried with a suit.
Porter founder, Yoshida Kichizo, starting training at just 12 years old in 1918 and went on to launch Porter in 1962. I’ve long been a fan as their products which blend functionality with Japanese quirkiness.
Porter are a perfect fit for The Armoury’s mission to create well-constructed, functional pieces for in an international classic style. With their expert team and world class manufacturing facilities I was excited to see what we could do.
The bag is designed to be space efficient, split into two major sections: the front for small items and the main interior for larger items. The front section has a plethora of pockets both wide and narrow so that items can be separated neatly and fit in vertically. It always annoys me when the contents of my bags slide to the bottom and get mixed up, so the shape of the pockets - to fit power adapters, tablets, notebooks and pens - was essential to our design. The interior houses a generous padded laptop compartment which holds up to a 15” Macbook Pro. There is also a large zip pocket for items that are in need of extra security.
We added a number of additional traveller friendly features as well: tall rectangular patch and flap pockets on the exterior of the bag that can hold boarding passes and passport wallets. A discreet, zipped pocket on the back of the bag that is easily accessed and can hold any loose items you might have as you pass through security. A zip at the bottom of the back pocket of the bag, which can be opened, and allows the bag to be slipped over the handle of a luggage trolley.
We’ve balanced the bag’s functionality with an elegant design that is suitable in and out of the office. The bags are made up in a hardy medium-weight nylon and combined with with leather trims, handles, and zip pulls to soften its technical appearance.
Since our first run of the Traveller’s Briefcase we’ve updated it to include new colours and a few minor tweaks to the design. The designer I worked with at Porter, Matsumura-san, had some excellent suggestions on new material combinations that are striking, and go beyond the typical classic colour schemes.
Five years on and I still see our bag in the wild, in heavy use by our customers and serving them well.
