cherchbi haversack

I've been carrying my Cherchbi Haversack around town for a month or so now, and I've come to the firm conclusion that I've never had a better rucksack. No surprises there, when one considers what goes into making a piece of Cherchbi craftsmanship. My Haversack has quickly become a most trusted friend - a friend I can rely on, day after day, to take care of precious possessions, work efficiently and look superb. It's strong and sturdy and beautiful, all at the same time. I foresee plenty of shared adventures - I want to stomp along London streets with this rucksack and trek across hills, in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Long may our friendship last.

I've wanted one of Cherchbi's tweed and leather bags ever since I came across the brand a year or two ago. Their story is a fascinating one. Cherchbi's bags and accessories are entirely designed and made in Britain using the best natural, locally sourced raw materials, including vegetable-tanned English saddle leather and Cherchbi's own Herdwyck No.10 wool tweed.

Established by Adam Atkinson in 2007, Cherchbi began with a simple idea: to make bags using the discarded wool of the ancient Herdwick breed of sheep. Over four years and nine weave trials, the animal's low value fleece was transformed into a high quality cloth. The result is Herdwyck No.10 - a pure wool, it’s colour and texture derived from the distinctive Herdwick fleece. The cloth is spun, woven and finished entirely in the British Isles.

Cherchbi's leathers are tanned by Joseph Clayton of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, established in 1840. Northern Irish cowhide is pit-tanned over a period of several weeks. This ancient tanning process has remained essentially unchanged for millennia. Cherchbi use English-cast brass buckles and metalware where possible; cotton lining is sourced from a mill in Manchester. The bags are put together by hand in a twelve-person workshop in the West Midlands.

Every single part of the process is overseen with care by Adam. It's a labour of love, and this very much shows in the final product.

My Haversack having a rest at home. (I apologise for the dying lavender.)

Discover more about Cherchbi here. Read my most recent blog entry for Cherchbi, The Country House Springtime Hit List, here.