VASCO_VS-811L_ANCHORS DOCUMENT CASE

SPIRAL COMMENT

The shop manager uses one every single day.

VASCO “VS-811L ANCHORS DOCUMENT CASE.”

Inspired by document cases once used to carry paperwork, this is a simple leather case reworked for modern everyday use.

The material is split cowhide produced during VASCO’s own leather production process.

The fibrous surface is carefully polished, then hand-dyed, oiled and scorched to create the deep character of a well-aged vintage leather piece from the very beginning.

The design itself couldn’t be simpler.

The opening is finished with a pinked edge, with a VASCO logo embossed at the lower center on the front and an “ANCHOR MILLS” stamp at the lower right on the reverse.

Beyond that, there is very little decoration, allowing the character of the split leather itself to take center stage.

Inside, it comes with a wool felt liner that provides cushioning and protection.

A 14-inch MacBook fits comfortably inside, leaving approximately 8cm of extra room at the top.

In fact, our shop manager uses one every day to carry a laptop.

The leather starts out fairly firm, but with use it gradually becomes smoother and more supple. Once it has softened and broken in, the extra leather at the top can easily be folded over.

At that point, it fits neatly sideways inside tote bags from VASCO, WORKERS and UES.

There are no zippers, snaps or other metal hardware either, so there’s less to worry about scratching your laptop when sliding it in and out.

Just slip it in and lightly fold over the top.

Simple, smart and exactly enough.

Nothing more than leather and felt — a very simple tool.

And the more you use it, the softer and easier to handle it becomes.

MATERIAL
Outer: Cow Leather / Split Leather
Inner: Wool Felt

DIMENSIONS
W28cm × H35–44cm

WEIGHT
385g

MADE IN JAPAN

Spiral Note

Split leather born from VASCO’s own leather-making process

This document case is made from split leather produced during the making of VASCO’s leather goods.

Leather is not always used at its original thickness.

When a thick hide is split down to the appropriate thickness for a product, it can be separated into the grain layer at the surface and the fibrous split layer underneath.

What is generally called rough out leather still retains the grain layer, with the flesh side turned outward. The grain therefore remains visible on the inside.

This document case is different. It uses the split layer itself, so there is no grain surface on the inside either.

Split leather rarely gets to play the starring role in a leather product, but in this case, its particular characteristics are actually an advantage.

It begins with a fairly firm hand, but as it is used, the fibers loosen, the surface develops more character and the leather gradually loses its stiffness, becoming increasingly soft and supple.

For a case designed to wrap around documents or a laptop, that makes perfect sense. Rather than using a firm grain leather that continues to hold its shape, the split leather gradually conforms to what you carry inside it.

VASCO doesn’t simply use the split leather as it is, either. The fibers are polished before the leather is hand-dyed, oiled and scorched, giving it the rich, distinctive character associated with VASCO’s leatherwork.

Because VASCO has spent years finishing its own leather and turning it into finished products, they understand how to take a material that would normally remain in the background and use its particular qualities to their advantage.

A material born from VASCO’s own production process is given another chance to become the star.

Simple as it may look, this is a document case that works precisely because of the characteristics of split leather.