The term ‘accessories’ is a strange one. It generally means items which can be added into the mix to make others even more versatile or useful—and whilst that’s true in some cases, it doesn’t really do justice to how important these items can be.
Nigel and his design team put a lot of time and care into the accessories they create, but we maybe don’t talk about them as much as we should. To redress the balance a bit, here are a few pieces we’re pretty proud of...
The NC X Traveler’s Company Notebook
Sort of like the Subaru Forester of the journal world, the Traveler’s Company Notebook is a bit of a modern design classic—a rugged masterpiece of form and function. This is the Nigel Cabourn version. The cover is made from 2mm thick vegetable tanned leather, which has been embossed with the broad arrow logo that Nigel regularly uses on his gear and has been left unprocessed for a raw finish which will soon develop a unique patina of its own.
Built to last, it comes with a Cabourn-branded refill pad, as well as a pen holder and a brass ballpoint pen. This has been a regular fixture in our Japanese range for a while now, but this is the first time we’ve stocked them in Britain. Whether you’re jotting down the shopping list or writing notes from your travels, it’s bound to come in handy.
Socks are one of those things that are often taken for granted, but it’s safe to say they’re pretty important. These Broad Arrow Cotton Socks are particularly nice.
Made in Portugal from recycled cotton, they’re not quite as chunky as our Ribbed Socks, but still reassuringly tough. They’re pretty much the ideal summer sock—light enough for when the sun makes an appearance, but still substantial enough to be worn with heavier footwear.
These have been a relatively recent addition to our roster that have proved particularly popular, and it’s not hard to see why. Designed as the perfect everyday bag, it’s a hard-wearing cotton tote, which, thanks to those long straps, can be worn either across the body or over the shoulder.
We probably don’t need to list off all the occasions that a bag like this will be perfect for, but it’s safe to say that this will get a lot of use—from the beach to the grocery shop, and most places in between.
This season we’ve made our tote in a few different fabrics—as well as cotton twill, there’s also waxed cotton, oilcloth cotton and a unique jacquard denim woven with an all-over cactus design first used by Nigel in the 80s.
Belts
This season we’ve worked with a Roma in Northamptonshire—the same people who make our braces—on a small range of leather belts. Based in a small factory in Naseby, Roma have been crafting leather goods since 1981, and have a firm focus on quality and sustainability. Put simply, they make really, really good belts.
We’ve got four different styles—the Window Buckle Belt, the Military Roller Buckle Belt, the Double Keeper Belt, and the Stud Detail Belt. Whilst they each use different buckles; they’re all made from 3.8mm thick vegetable tanned leather and feature a subtle embossed Cabourn logo.
New Leather Goods
There are additional brand new leather goods out now. Card cases, passport covers, lanyards, luggage tags, handy money clips, stylish phone sleeves and pencil cases. All these products are made from the same quality Italian vegetable tanned leather.
These finely-crafted items might be classed as ‘accessories’, but it’s safe to say a huge amount of thought has gone into the making of them.