A Continuous Lean.

Is there a more ubiquitous bag in New York than the canvas duffels that the bankers carry? I noticed the bags frequently around the city and would always try to find a store that stocks them. I was sure that I would be able to get one on the Upper East Side, but alas no luck. At that point I started doing research and eventually found out that the bags are made by the New Canaan, CT. based Warden-Brooks, Ltd. Around the same time as this duffel quest was going on — I was trying to come up with an idea for a holiday gift for my then client J. Press. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and commission my very own banker bag. Working with the J. Press creative director and the people at Warden-Brooks, we designed the beige canvas bag around some great deadstock navy and red wool webbing that we found on eBay. The result is a classic J. Press bag for all occasions.

The Goldman Sachs bag is obviously the most coveted and respected of all the investment bank options — not only for its classic navy and green design — but also because of the bank’s prowess in the cutthroat world of finance. That also raises the question of how you are treated when you carry an investment bank duffel? Are the salespeople at Bergdorf more helpful? Are women more interested in you? Feel free to speculate wildly in the comments.

Further Reading: Warden-Brooks in The New York Sun (PDF)