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The seaport of Cowes on the Isle of Wight is often described as the cradle of yachting. Its big draw is Cowes Week, one of the oldest and largest sailing regattas in the world, founded in 1826 and held every August on the Solent, the busy stretch of tidal water between the island and the mainland.
But even before Cowes Week, there was Ratsey & Lapthorn. The British company has been handmaking sails since 1790. It has furnished some of the most famous vessels in the world, including Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory; King George V’s yacht, Britannia; the Gucci family’s Creole – the largest wooden sailing yacht on the seas; and British and American challengers for the America’s Cup.
Now operating between its headquarters outside Cowes and a loft in Barcelona, it is owned by friends Simon Brazier, a former City fund manager, now the firm’s chairman, and Jim Hartley, a sailing industry veteran and the brand’s current CEO. Having steadied its sailmaking business – it recently restored Ratsey & Lapthorn sails to John F Kennedy’s former yacht, Manitou – in August the firm is making its first foray into consumer luxury with a range of unisex canvas and leather bags.
The collection builds on Ratsey & Lapthorn’s experience. For example, the company claims to be one of the oldest bag makers in the world: it has been making sailcloth bags first used to ferry coal and ice onto boats for centuries. Sailors and fishermen also used ditty bags, a type of small duffel bag, to carry their kit. The ditty acted as a calling card for sailmakers, a portable way to demonstrate their skills in sewing, construction and knot-making.
The collection of eight Ratsey & Lapthorn styles, made in small, numbered editions, has predominantly been handcrafted in Italy by a family-owned manufacturer, with finishings made in the UK, and will be available on its website as of 1 August. Highlights include the Lapthorn zipped tote (£1,650); the Ratpack barrel bag (£1,650), based on a crewman’s holdall, as well as the Rat (£450), a small clutch with a long “rat’s tail” tapered cord traditionally found on the corners of sails.
The project is as much about preservation as expansion. Says Hartley: “To reinvent or reposition our bags using those same skills is going to help keep those skills alive, to employ apprentices and pass down the tradition.” The Ditty (£2,000), a 50-piece limited edition and the most expensive style, is the star turn. Handmade in Britain by Katie Robarts-Arnold, its brass eyelets have been hand-sewn by head sail maker Matthew Robinson, and its cord handle handmade and knotted at the final stage of production by Sue Pennison, chair of trustees of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. The company’s intention is to expand apprenticeship opportunities in the UK, with a view to producing all the bag styles in Britain soon.
Sailing represents “an underleveraged yet highly aligned opportunity” for luxury, according to Claudia D’Arpizio, a senior partner at Bain & Company. Early adopters include Prada, a longstanding sponsor of the Luna Rossa sailing team, and Louis Vuitton, whose sponsorship of the America’s Cup goes back to 1983. “Yacht sailing in particular offers a unique blend of cultural prestige, craftsmanship and exclusivity,” says D’Arpizio. “Sailing also embodies a compelling set of values: technical expertise, sophistication, a spirit of adventure and environmental awareness.”
Brazier believes these values will make the new accessories resonate beyond “yachties”. “It’s for people who get out and about, and who love the heritage and the quality,” he says. “The bags wear very well over time. We’ve got people who come in with their originals from 50 years ago and they’re still using them today. They’re bags that have taken them on a journey and tell the story of their lives.”
