All Mix Blog

In the third part of our interview with Gary Bott we discuss the manufacturing process of Globe Trotter's luggage, the factory and its workforce, and the challenges of finding craftspeople in modern Britain. On the Manufacturing Process "This can’t be automated. That is quite an amazing thing. We feel we have a responsibility to protect the manufacturing side of the business. We have about 26 people working in the factory here, three of us in head office and two in the shop - that’s it for the world. We produce 200 suitcases a week, 10,000 a year. That’s it." On the Difference Between Globe Trotter's Collections: "Our Original series doesn’t have leather straps or leather corners, it has vulcanised straps and corners. There are five colour options. With Centenary (pictured above, Hermes edition) - it has leather straps and leather corners and is available in several colours. If we do a special or limited edition suitcases they are always centenary." On the...

South Londoner James Bowthorpe cycled around the world last year. He completed the 18,000 mile ride across 20 countries in less than six months, beating the world record by 20 days. He also raised a sizeable amount of money for What’s Driving Parkinson’s, a research clinic at King’s College Hospital in London in the process. Obviously, cycling over 100 miles a day for half a year requires a quality saddle so it was no surprise to read this in The Financial Times (Weekend of 19/20th September 2009): 'I'm sitting on a Brooks saddle that I have had for about 10 years. If you have time to wear one in and are prepared to do a minimum of upkeep (rubbing in a spot of dubbin every now and then) they're unbeatable.' Image from the fantastic website of Mr. Jim Langley (although we do advise readers to turn the volume down when visiting).

We highly recommend this short documentary on the manufacture of Brooks saddles. Founded in 1866 in Smethwick, Birmingham, the company embodies everything that we are looking for in the subjects of M&I. Having registered their first patent in 1882, the product remains nearly identical today - the B17 saddle was first produced in 1898 and is still available 111 years later. Eric Murray, an expert chamferer at the factory, believes the manufacturing process will remain, 'I presume it will always be the same, it's the way it goes.' Thank you to Anothersomething for bringing this video to our attention.