Me and Maria (Alexander von Bronewski Manufaktur & Feinschmuck ) went for our annual Indian Summer Bivouac up the hill for less than 24 hours – offline. A great time to exercise, being outdoors, collecting the thoughts, getting inspired, watching shootingstars, drinking some good redwine, roasting some sausages, watching a fire burn, watching deer, eating blueberries, making good coffee, trying to name the surrounding mountains and exploring new paths – priceless!
I just finished a improved version of my leather tote bag. First of all the leather is a bit darker and has even more character. Then I extended the length of the straps a bit. The major change went trough the inner pocket. It is now out of the same material as the other bag. I added 2 loops to hold a pen and a bigger Mont Blanc pen or Kaweco (or a mini maglite) and as well a pocket for a small knife.
Thanks to my friends of Passion France to equip me with some of the nicest pocket knifes France has to offer. Not only can I offer the Douk Douk or a Sujet various knifes from Thiers, Laguiole and St-Martin are on stock now.
On the 2nd last image you see a scar on the hide. I did choose to not hide it or cut around it. Leather is a natural material which should be treated with respect and care. The scar adds character to the bag and let us memorize that it was actually from a living creature which has its life and accidents. (since the scar is hardly a fraction of a millimeter deep, rather just on the surface, it won´t seriously harm the strength of the bag).
+++ Update October 2019 +++
More than 5 years later, I made quite a few of this bags. My leatherworkshop became my profession and passion. The bag in it´s style and concept has envolved just a bit since. To get more information an updated images please check my website – Alexander von Bronewski Manufaktur
Last week I traveled with the Feinschmuck collection to Frankfurt to attend an ordershow which was hosted by B74 & Amtraq. Some impressions I was able to capture a lot not. It was a great event in an even greater setup. Thanks Kami and his team & Amtraq to make this show happen. It was amazing to be part with a quite exclusive set of labels/brands there. Visited by some of the best german stockists who had all the time to choose their goods for 2014.
Some more images can be found @ Eric´s Life-Time-Gear blog.
Just to name a few:
Tellason, Scarti Labs, Otter Wax, Passion France, Filson, Merz b. Schwanen, Blue Blanket, 3sixteen, Fidelity, Levi´s vintage Clothing, Made and Crafted, Feinschmuck, Croots, Tanner Goods, Topo Designs, Midori, Knowledge Cotton, Reds (shame on me if I forgot a brand).
Recently I had the chance to have a closer look at the Passion France knife collection. A real nightmare to narrow down your first choice with so many options. Be prepared to buy at least one and leave with at least one (which you did not buy now) on your wish list.
So the one I choose was the “Poisson Culut Bu” which can be obtained here.
This Laguiole knife with a box wood handle (buchbaum) has the traditional salvia/sage shaped blade. I love the elegant, newer design of the Laguiole blades but I went for this knife for a more rugged looking one. The box wood looks a bit like ivory. After I bought it Wolfgang told me it´s a traditional sailors knife by its design. The steel plate at the end of the handle serves as a tobacco / pipe tamper, which is a nice feature. (however its a bit too big for my Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipe).
The leather sheat wasn´t an option for me at first look be-cause I think a knife should be able to withstand the abuse made by other contents in a trouser pocket. BUT if you see and touch this nicely leather sheats hand made in France – not buying it wasn´t an option anymore.
Thanks Sabine and Wolfgang for this, to say in in Eric´s words a life time gear.
The timing for the parcel by Passion France could not have been better. Right on the spot for Maria´s Birthday the shipment of her Survival Knife (ask Wolfgang why only a knife with a corkscrew is regarded by Frenchmen as a real survival knife).
At the B-74 5th. Anniversary Party we were presented the new Feinschmuck Collection right next to Passion France. Hmm, guess what the whole Feinschmuck team is now officially equipped with the finest knifes by Passion France. Thanks a lot to Sabine and Wolfgang.
B-74 Frankfurt 5th. Anniversary PartyWe had a great weekend in Frankfurt. Happy to be by invited by Kami to join great brands like Dukes, Passion France and Rakelle. Check the Feinschmuck Facebook Site for some more Images of the new collection which we showed there. More Images and more details will follow.
Check Eric´s great Life Time Gear blog for more images – now!
Herder Buckelsklingen Messer / KnifesBy being a non to sensitive guy and breaking a Herder Windmühlen Frühstücksmesser (bending it too much – like trying to drill out a shark on a flyfishing rod) I came into contact with Matthias van Reimersdahl. He is the guy you might have met, producing these great knifes live at the Manufactum Stores. He offered to make me a new one and replacing my old one. Recently not just one, two arrived one crafted with a plum wooden handle and the other had a cherry one. On his calligraphic note he mentioned enjoy the sharpness of the Buckelsklinge and not to cut myself.
They are sharp as hell and you might not find a more harmless looking knife, distributed as a breakfast knife who will let most of you blades leave behind speaking of sharpness. To even push the limits I gave one of the blades a treatment on my straight razor strop, and as you see I was able to get rid of some hair on my leg.
I have probably given close to 20 knifes to friends and my family as a present and all of those knifes turned into their No.1 kitchen knife afterward. I would rank this knife as a must have without hesitation – get one! If you regret it, I really would like to hear you point of view.
Thanks Matthias for these special knifes!
Jeanslife Winterthur Switzerland by Roger SchmukiOn our way to Konstanz we finally visited Jeanslife in Winterthur, which was on the agenda for a long time. Roger runs his shop for a more than 2 years now. He managed to hoard some of the finest brands within it. A wide selection of denim/jeans (Jeanslife!), leather jackets, boots, belts … you can walk out there fully dressed from head to toe or just add something to your wardrobe which isn´t that hard in there. 2/3 of his goods are menswear in the ground floor and an excellent selection of 1/3 for your lady at the ground floor. For sure one of the top stores we´ve been into lately and will return soon.
Some of the brands we spotted were:
Indigofera, Tellason, Merz b. Schwanen, Dukes, Passion France, Levis Vintage Clothing, Schiesser Revival, Red Wing, Nigel Cabourn, KOI, Kiki Fritz, Scarti Lab, Penfield, Dehen 1920, Filson, American Optical ….the full list of brands here
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