G.J. Cleverley Offers Bags Made with Leather from a Sunken Ship

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Feb 4th 2010 at 2:01PM

G.J. Cleverley, the famed London-based bespoke shoemaker whose famous customers have included Winston Churchill, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart, has come out with a limited edition line of bags made from rare Russian reindeer leather salvaged from a ship sunk over 200 years ago. The precious perfectly preserved hides were recovered by divers from the Danish brigantine Metta Catharina von Flensburg which sank during a storm in England's Plymouth Sound in 1786, according to Robb Report. Tanned using a painstaking 18th century willow bark and birch oil process, the skins have been turned into a limited collection of handmade men's accessories including belts, wallets, a wine carrier, shoe kit, and Gladstone bag (above), priced at about $7,200, a modern interpretation of a satchel once used by well-heeled British hunters. The pieces are available by special order only.

Tags: bag, G.J. Cleverley, G.j.Cleverley, hunting, leather, London, Robb Report, RobbReport, shipwreck, UK