Horween Weekender - Chromexcel #8

We wanted to make a bag that would turn heads at the airport. We wanted to make a bag that our children would use eventually. We wanted to make a bag that gets better looking as it breaks in - always picking up a little more patina, always moving a little closer to perfection. We wanted to make the last duffel bag you’ll ever need to buy, at a value only Gustin can offer.

We worked for a very long time to find the right people to help us bring our dreams of a Horween weekender to life. The group of craftsmen we finally went with have been making bags in California longer than I’ve been alive. It’s in their blood. Yes, it’s their job, but it’s also their hobby and passion. They eat, breathe and live making some of the finest bags in the country.

The design of the bag is clean, functional and classic. There’s a single zipper compartment with a solid-brass two-way YKK #10 zipper. Instead of the standard brass pulls, we’re making our own from the same Horween leather as the bag, and riveting them. The top corners of the bag snap down to the sides with solid-brass swivel snaps. This makes it easier to pack the weekender and gives the bag a well-finished look. The handles are riveted and sewn to the bag sides for a beefy and durable connection point. They’re made of the same leather as the body and burnished on the edges. The rolling makes them more comfortable to hold over traditional flat handles. The shoulder strap is made from Horween Brown Illini Latino. There is less stretch to this leather and it's great for strapping (and horse saddles!). On the interior of the bag, we’re using a heavyweight, brushed cotton twill. There’s a single, YKK-zippered compartment on the bag that is trimmed in Horween leather. (Bag weighs 8 lbs empty).

This weekender is crafted from full grain steer hide made by the Horween Leather Company in Chicago. Horween's Chromexcel is famous and Color #8 even more so. We've used it in accessories and they're beautiful. We've used it in our sneakers and they became the stand-out color in the line. Like Horween’s Dublin line, Chromexcel has tremendous base shade and pull up. The difference with #8 is in its dark burgundy color. Its deep base results in a much more subtle beauty. You still get color variation as the bag bends and creases, but it's more fluid and muted than in lighter CXL colors. Instead, you see wonderful gradations from deep brown-reds to slightly lighter reds. Even differences in light bring out new beautiful shades.