porter

Porter bags are all over Japan. Everyone from the sophisticated businessman to the trendy teenager to the conservative grandparent carries one. And it's easy to see why. The bags are of impeccable quality.

Most of the bags are made of canvas (although some are made of vinyl). And a large variety of different canvas is used - with different textures and patterns and colours. I've seen different types of striped canvas, a beautiful coated canvas (that has a slight sheen to it), plain black canvas, and numerous coloured vinyl.

I bought one of the coated canvas shoulder bags, and have received constant compliments. The people who have complimented me on my bag have never heard of Porter. But they can see that the bag is quality - the craftsmanship is clearly superb.

The bad news is that Porter bags are extremely difficult to buy in North America. (They're sold all over asia, and are easily found in almost all department stores in Japan (Loft, Tokyo Hands, Seibu).) Vancouver's IE (Illustrated Example) sells a limited selection of Porter bags, and New York has a Head Porter store in Soho (Head Porter is a younger, flashier sibling of Porter - also by Yoshida & Co.) I'm still trying to find an on-line site where I can by Porter. I'll post the link if I find one.