Not traditionally a bag maker, but aware of the great market awaiting them, Cartier is now producing the Cartier Marcello bag. For a large manufacturer, they seem to trying to make a really good bag (see the video page). Still, at over $1000 per bag, one could buy an well made, and very personal bag made by an artisan. The bag market has been very strong, and will only continue to grow. I posted this partly because the video is worth watching. Head over to the video page and enjoy!
Meanwhile for a look at mostly lower priced bags (to give you some design ideas, not pricing ideas as much) take a look at this leather briefcase website.

Japanese leathercraft is something that came to the country in the aftermath of the war. There, of course, were leather goods before that, but some American servicemen and their families brought over the concept of leather tooling. Intricately carved Western leather gear fascinated many Japanese, with their love of detail, and the art form took off on its own from that.

However, once imported to Japan, things are known to change a great deal. Japanese leather artists began to make design that suited their own tastes. Also, unlike in the US, the majority of those attracted to leather tooling and leathercrafting were women. An entire art form has blossomed from leathercraft’s humble origins, and the Japanese work is among the best in the world. Since we are focused more on practical applications, I selected a picture of handbags rather than some of the really stunning display pieces in this book. Click on the image to get a larger view.