Harold’s Messenger bag

This bag made from velvety, waxed cowhide leather can be worn as a backpack, over the shoulder or by the handles. With its unusual, yet functional design and a padded laptop compartment inside, it is the perfect business bag and is also suitable for any means of transportation, especially for short bike rides. The additional cotton strap can be attached using a carabiner and used as a crossbody shoulder strap. In addition, the volume is variable thanks to the envelope, whereby the bag can still be closed even when filled to the maximum. For easy loading and unloading of the rucksack, the flap has two zippers that can be used to enlarge the opening. Saddle leather straps with cartridge pocket fasteners close the main compartment and laptop compartment. The inside of the bag is lined with a gray lining made of equal parts cotton and recycled PET. On the outside, the backpack has a wide zipped compartment at the back and a smaller one at the front with two small slip pockets.

Fine leather craftsmanship is in the blood of the Schmelz family. They are behind the Harold’s brand and have been producing leather bags since 1936, now in its third generation. In the 1950s, the manufactory began cooperating with foreign partners, initially in Italy and later also in Colombia and India. This not only led to the relocation of parts of the production facilities abroad, but also to the brand name Harold’s, under which production was henceforth carried out. The designs are all created at the company's German headquarters near the Hessian metropolis of Frankfurt. The top priorities are well thought-out shapes and functionality, timeless design and, above all, first-class craftsmanship and natural, durable leather. This is the only way to achieve the declared aim of producing "bags for a lifetime". Production takes place primarily in Colombia and India - always taking local conditions into account - and since 2010 also in Obertshausen.

The successful cooperation with a small factory in Colombia has existed since 1985 and involves more than the usual: it is based on statutory employment contracts that offer the workers stable working conditions with security such as health, accident and pension insurance. The majority of employees have therefore been working in the company for more than 20 years and have the relevant specialist knowledge and many years of experience in leather processing. This is not a matter of course in South America's leather goods industry, which is characterized by migrant labor. Equally unusual are the extensive safety regulations, thanks to which the working environment comes close to European standards, for example in terms of acoustics, distances and cleanliness. The majority of the machines used for production also come from Europe. Most of the leather comes from cattle from Colombia, which are kept outdoors all year round, as is customary in South America; for the German site, it comes from Germany. After tanning, the leather surface still shows the natural grain with the traces of an animal's life, such as mosquito bites or small tears, and soon forms the patina typical of leather. Fabrics and metal parts are also produced in close proximity to the Colombian and German sites.