Rex
From: £495
Key Features
The Rex has a single main compartment which will happily swallow your daily essentials, A5 notebook, diary, iPad etc and had two internal pockets, one slip, one zipped, to aid organisation. Made from premium Italian suede with a soft, full-grain leather strap and rich purple cotton twill lining. Fittings are brass whose colour will soften and patina with wear.
The long, cross-body strap is cleverly designed so that it can be adjusted short, to wrap right around the bag and be secured by a harness stud and keeper, thus giving a short-strap shoulder bag perfect for grab-and-go wear by hand or over one shoulder.
Each bag is individually numbered in numerals created from India’s own handwriting – so that every piece is unique.
W x H x D: 28 x 18 x 12 (11” x 7” x 5”)
Handle drop: from short up to 71 cm (28″)
Approx weight: < 0.6kg / 1½ lb
The Leathers
The luxurious suede in the Rex is a premium leather made in a gold-certified tannery in Italy. A rich caramel shade, perfect in all seasons, it is complemented by the dark brown Montanasoft leather seen in our previous collections with India. This also is created in a gold-certified tannery, meaning that both of these leathers have created the minimum impact on the environment during their upcycling from being waste hides. Contrary to common belief, suede is a very robust leather, though it does benefit from a coating of suede protector which you can find in most shoe stores (our favourite is from Renapur, available widely and on Amazon).
The Buckle
In 1989, in the process of retrieving some unpaid-for leather from a nearby small leather goods firm that had gone into receivership, John Tusting (now aged 90 and still regularly visiting the Tusting offices!) could not bear to think of the loss of skills that might result in the closure of that business. He returned with the leather, but also an idea – could this be the diversification he and his young sons had been looking for in their leather supply business? In no time at all, they were agreed, and soon afterwards two skilled leatherworkers, a couple of sewing machines and some boxes of bits and bobs made their way to join the family at Tusting HQ in Lavendon.
When designing the Rex, we needed a BIG buckle. That old box of bits and bobs has since become a great reference pot and sure enough, it yielded a few big, beautiful, solid brass harness buckles. One of these was chosen as ‘the one’ and we commissioned a British foundry to recreate a limited number of them for us for this project. It’s truly a buckle with a story.
Bespoke & Personalisation
All Tusting bags are hand-crafted in our Lavendon workshop which gives us great flexibility and we can make your bag even more special by personalising it. When you choose personal initials for your Rex, we’ll pop small initials in gold foil on the inside, just above the brand emboss in the interior zip pocket. If you prefer another method, we may be able to assist – please just get in touch to discuss.
So whether it is embossed initials, a personalised message engraved into the leather inside the bag, or even a special colour combination that would make your bag even more unique, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Behind the Collaboration
We are delighted to continue our collaboration with India Hicks, whose enthusiasm for our team’s talents is so encouraging and whose eye for lasting style is so on-point.
As ever, India has been deeply involved in the whole process of development, and this time she also enlisted the help of her great friend and cousin Isabella Knatchbull, another tireless, globetrotting adventurer. Together, we have created the perfect bag for busy women and action-filled days.
