Holdall and Co - a high quality British-made leather folio to pass to your children

Grey Fox's search for style has developed a British-made bias. I love items of style made with pride, particularly where traditional skills are used and preserved and (as you'll find out in the interview with the company's enthusiastic founder, Raimonda Navickaite, below), passion and enthusiasm lie behind a product. Here is an excellent example - a beautifully-made home-produced leather folio from Holdall & Co.

After admiring their products recently, I was delighted to be sent for review one of their 14" folios. The first sensation on opening the box was that lovely smell of quality leather. The colour and feel add to the impression of a heritage piece that will last long enough to be handed on to the next generation. I love the natural texture of the leather, which, being full-grained and naturally-tanned, will continue to improve in appearance and patina as it ages - I can't wait; I love the appearance of old leather.

I've used the folio several times to take iPad, documents, note books and reading material to meetings and on the train. You'll want a brief case if you carry a lot, but if, like me, you prefer to travel light, this is ideal.

I was impressed enough to want to know more and asked Raimonda Navickaite to answer a few questions. Here's what I learned about the company's work -

Grey Fox - Tell me something about Holdall and Co, how did the business come about? How did you go about gathering together the skills you needed?

Rai - Holdall & Co was inspired by my personal collection of 'made in England' vintage cases and bags. I love the fact that every item has lasted for so many years and that every mark or blemish has a story to tell. I wanted to bring back the quality and values that these items had and to design a product that was timeless yet classically modern; a product that was made from the highest quality materials by expert hands so that it could go on to become a vintage piece with your story.

I spent 7 months developing the perfect design, travelling around England sourcing the best leather and trying to find a factory with the experience and skills to produce my designs. I knew from the start that the folios had to be made in England and I searched hard to find traditional case makers with decades of experience, who would not only ensure longevity for the folios, but turn them into unique pieces of art. Even with a background in fashion (and a BA Hons Fashion Design degree), I've learnt much in the process of designing the folio; I have a great respect for the skills and workmanship that goes into making a quality product.

The folios are for 'life', designed to withstand the rigours of regular use. Their design had to be timeless and classic without looking old in 10 years time; I worked hard on the design, keeping it minimal whilst ensuring every detail and function wasn't compromised. The buckle is a quick release lock that is great for easy access, just like our newspaper/umbrella loop which will come in handy when on the go (making it easy to stow away your newspaper when on the train; or for the British weather and when you need an umbrella quickly).

Our sizes are unique and were designed with all of your modern essentials in mind:
- The Organised / 12" which is for everyday use and fits your notes and ideas; iPad, slimline laptop such as Macbook Air or even the Moleskin notebooks and a copy of the latest Monocle / Wired magazine.
- The Professional / 14" which is perfect for work and fits your documents and drafts; legal papers, your latest business plan or your slimline laptop such as the MacBook Pro.

GF - You're obviously proud of the Made in England label. Tell me something about the tradition of leatherworking in this country.

Rai - To us, 'made in England' is a proud declaration of a products provenance, a guarantee of passion, dedication, quality and craftsmanship. We don't cut corners to save money and quite simply make the finest folios possible with integrity, strength and durability.

Leather is a wonderful material and can be the ultimate luxury after passing through the right hands. We only use full grain, naturally tanned leather, this is the strongest and most durable leather which interacts with its surroundings, develops a rich patina and genuine character; because we only use full grain leather, every hide differs from the next making every folio unique.

Part of what makes the folios special is our attention to detail; from hand-sewn lock stitches and heeled corners to polished edges and hidden stitch knots.

Take the our hidden stitch knots as an example. When stitching finishes or ends, the general practice is just to 'snip' the thread close to the surface of the product, this leaves a loose end which looks like a small hair sticking up (have a closer look next time you pick up a bag whilst out shopping) and while this looks unsightly, more importantly this can be a material weakness in the product. We pull through every thread end to the inside, where it's then tied and knitted and then finally glued with a special, waterproof adhesive to ensure it stays securely in place. This is a time consuming process but we see it as an essential step for the integrity of the product.

We are very proud to manufacture 100% of our folios in England and will continue to do so in the future.

GF - Do you plan changing the extent of the range in any way in the future?

Rai - Currently we're concentrating on our folios and have some great ideas coming up for Spring/Summer (including some more colours [at present chestnut and London tan] and exciting new editions), though we are looking to introduce new designs in the near future.

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Needless to say, I'm working on Rai to let us see some of the collection of vintage cases and bags that inspired these beautiful products. I'd love to share these with you.

Rai has been kind enough to allow me to keep the folio I've reviewed. I suspect it will see me out and be passed to my children for them to use and admire!

See Holdall & Co's website for more information.
Twitter - @holdallandco
Facebook - www.facebook.com/holdallco

First three images above (C) Grey Fox
Final image Holdall & Co

This folio was sent to Grey Fox free of charge for review. As ever, I have reviewed it impartially in accordance to the principles set out above under the Sponsor tab.