When Simon Crompton of Permanent Style – the global authority on luxury and crafted menswear – commits to a collaboration, you know the outcome is going to be very special indeed. Why else would he attach his name and reputation? With Bennett Winch, the synergy was natural. When Robin Bennett and Robin Winch founded the brand in 2014, they knew they wanted to create timeless, enduring luggage that met the demands of modern man. Functionality and aesthetic are given equal status during the design process, and there’s a passionate commitment to craftsmanship. Bennett Winch’s bags are exclusively handcrafted in England, and every product comes with a lifetime promise.
Having seen the bags online – and heard from Fortnum & Mason how fast they were flying off their shelves – I wanted to physically touch one to see if it lived up to the hype. Bennett Winch has recently opened its first own brand store in Mayfair, at The Arches, 73 Duke Street, so I popped by one afternoon.
The current product range is limited to just eight items, each one refined through multiple iterations before it hits the shelves. The choice of colours and materials – leather or canvas – has been selected equally carefully, and they make for a striking display.
The first product to catch my eye was The Weekender (£575), Bennett Winch’s signature bag and the concept which sparked the company’s birth. Imagined for a long weekend, it is carry on size, fully waterproof, and attractively trimmed with full grain leather. Key features include a concealed external pocket for your passport or smartphone, a protected internal pocket for a laptop, and a waterproof shoe compartment so they won’t mark or dampen your clothes.
Spread out on a large central workbench, however, was the product you cannot help but fall in love with. It’s the SC Holdall (£650) that Simon Crompton describes as granting him “a lovely sense of accomplishment”. The basic premise is that this is a holdall and suit carrier in one. That description implies that it is something simple, but it’s not. It took the Bennett Winch team a dozen attempts to perfect the design.
Criteria for the SC Holdall included that it must have adequate structure but still be light enough to carry; there could be no tight folds that would cause the jacket or suit to crease; and you must be able to quickly and easy attach or detach the two parts, for example in order to hang up the suit carrier on arrival. Solutions included stripping back the bag structure, using two different weights of canvas (the outer of which is heavier and waterproof), and using magnets rather than poppers to connect the pieces together.
Stretched out in front of me, I could see how the SC Holdall would work, but I wanted to try it out in a real world setting. Bennett Winch kindly provided me with a pristine, olive green bag for my weekend away, and it was the envy of both the hotel porter and other guests.
At first glance, the look — from the shape to the colour scheme — is understated. It’s when you start peering closely you see the attention to detail, from the military grade webbing of the shoulder strap to the YKK golden brass zips, and the solid brass hardware to the delicately embroidered Bennett Winch logo of two small birds. Every aspect of the bag’s functionality has been carefully considered, tested, and tweaked. The design has reached the point of perfection; anything more would be an excess.
Winter is coming, and with it Christmas. Whether it’s a treat for yourself or a gift for the one who you love, make sure that there is a parcel from Bennett Winch wrapped up under your tree.
Sophie Ibbotson is an entrepreneur, writer, and lover of wild places. She’s the author of five Bradt Guides, including the first guidebook to South Sudan, and provides tourism development consultancy through her company, Maximum Exposure.
