The Modus Operandi: Cutting the Tripp II Handbag
We’re beginning a run of Tripp II handbags in the Lotuff studio this week. The larger counterpart to our bestselling Tripp, it’s a versatile and beautiful piece that’s sized perfectly for carrying everyday items like a book, tablet, and phone charger. Like the original, the Tripp II is a difficult bag to make, comprising almost 40 pieces and 200 steps to join them together into the final product.
As this bag is fully leather-lined, cutting these pieces requires much time, care and attention to detail: each one must be totally unblemished, and the grain needs to be consistent from the outside in.To ensure this, each hide is marked for any flaws, and then dies are placed and cut with a clicker press. The pieces are cut individually to allow for the artisans to hone their focus, so while it’s time-consuming, each bag turns out better in the end because of this.
After having been cut, the Tripp II pieces are all matched by grain and texture, like putting together parts of a puzzle that will eventually form a whole. All 40-some pieces are then readied to be split to even out their thickness and continue on their road to completion.