Before Ashland was known for wallets, it was two Horween® tanners with an idea for bags. We started out making women’s handbags, then landed a large order from Ships Japan that kept the shop running in the early days. Somewhere in there we discovered we were more popular crafting wallets and the Fat Herbie was born. Wallets became the business.
This drop is a nod back to where we started: bags and zippered goods, built the same way we’ve always built everything, out of Horween® leather, six-tenths of a mile from the tannery. If you followed along with the Sling Bag’s 15-month development story, this release is where that "back to bags" thread really shows up on the shelf.
Chicago's Horween Leather Tannery circa 1943
What’s In This Drop
LaSalle Briefcase — Burnt Orange Cypress
Our first look at Cypress in Burnt Orange. Cypress is Horween®’s newest leather: combination-tanned, fat liquored, then finished with a thick, self-healing wax that’s ironed into the grain. No conditioning, no buffing. It’s built to take a scuff and heal itself. RiRi zippers throughout.
Prototype Sling Bag — Black Shell Cordovan
The bag we’ve been building all year, shown here in Black Shell Cordovan with RiRi zippers and a Cordura liner. This is the piece that started the “back to bags” conversation in the shop.
Classic Dopp Kit — Violet Latigo
Violet is a color we don’t run often. The Classic Dopp Kit is built in Latigo, a firm, tight-grain leather with real saddlery roots, and finished with a resin-coated interior that wipes clean with water — the functional heart of this piece.
XL Valet Tray — Two-Tone Official Football Leather & Black Essex
A one-off pairing: Official Football Leather against Black Essex, the un-waxed base of our Dublin. Solid brass snaps, unsnaps flat for travel.
Shell Cordovan Belt — 36” Psychedelic
Psychedelic is one of the rarest colorways Horween® runs. This Shell Cordovan Belt is one-off — one belt, and it won’t be repeated.
Johnny the Fox — Gator Color 4 Shell Cordovan, Sky Blue Latigo Interior
Sky Blue is a new interior color for us, paired here with Gator Color 4 Shell on the Johnny the Fox. Named for Johnny Torrio, “The Fox” — brains over brawn, the quiet strategist behind the Chicago Outfit before Capone.
The Marbled Ultraviolet Shell Cordovan Collection
One of this drop’s bigger surprises is a small collection within the collection: a whole run of pieces built in Marbled Ultraviolet, a variegated Shell colorway we don’t stock often. Beyond the Lucky Wallet pictured above, you’ll find it on the JR Fold, Bugs Moran, 5-Slot Frank, Tall Herbie, Fat Herbie, Vic Snap, Three-Shot Card Case, One-Shot Card Case, Vault Key Holder, Machine Gun Jack, and Mini Fox. All cut from the same hide run. Browse the full set in the Limited Releases collection.
Louis “Little New York” — Reverse Cigar Shell Cordovan
Louis isn’t a vault piece — we make it periodically — but Reverse Cigar is a colorway worth calling out on its own. See it here.
Lucky Wallet — Green Lizard Shell Cordovan
Lizard-embossed Shell in Green — not a leather we run frequently. One of a kind.
Leather Pouch — Official Football Leather, Red Foil Stamp
Official Football Leather, the same material used on the game ball, in a small-format pouch with a red foil stamp. Shop it here.
Ninety percent of this drop is one-off. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Shop the full release here.