"The way they talk about their products, and the way they physically care for them; there's a preciousness and a respect for the tradition and the quality that each bag has, which you kind of want to be a part of it a little bit," says Pamela Baker-Miller. As the owner of Frances May, she was able to be a little bit part of the brand by offering the randoseru to a new audience.
According to their deep-pocketed research, the randoseru became Japan's de facto school backpack way back in 1885 when "a school that educates Japan's imperial family, designated as its official school bag." Now, nearly 150 years later, the bag is worn by nearly every elementary school child in the country.
Helping the bag continue its reign is leather goods manufacturer Tsuchiya Kaban, which has been making randoseru in Japan since it was founded by Kunio Tsuchiya over 60 years ago. It's a laborious process that involves 50 craftspeople using 150 parts to hand make each bag.
The bags are so ubiquitous the paper of record itself, The New York Times, recently published a profile of them. There are even randoserus for dogs.
Collection
[
|
...
]