Vintage British-Made Men's Bags and Rucksacks — Voted by the Community

British bag making grew out of the country's leather trades. Between about 1680 and 1830, the making of leather and leather goods was one of England's most important industries after textiles. Tanners and leatherworkers in many towns turned hides into boots, saddles, harness, gloves, bags and cases, and the skills of cutting, stitching, edging and finishing carried across from one product to the next. Walsall in the West Midlands shows how this worked. The town became known for saddles and harness, and around 1900 roughly 10,000 local people worked in the trade. When the motor car cut demand for horse equipment, Walsall's makers turned to purses, wallets, bags and gloves, and the town still has makers of bags and small leather goods today. British bags were mostly made for practical use, by people who travelled, worked outdoors or carried papers to work. Today's British bag makers draw on the same cutting, stitching and finishing skills.