Humans are not machines. Machines cannot smell, feel or develop an emotional connection to the product they produce. Machines are designed to achieve near perfection
made that take the craft away from people. And that is exactly what is fatal - the craft is lost. But not at Siegmund & Fritz.
Craftsmanship is called craftsmanship because a work is done with the hands. Maurice Bock, the man behind Siegmund & Fritz (the names of his grandfathers) is fully committed to craftsmanship in the classic sense, so much so that he does not use any machines to produce his bags.
For his products, Maurice Bock uses only leather from the Kobel tannery, which was founded in 1877 in Kellinghusen in Schleswig-Holstein. The tannery still uses the same facilities, techniques and know-how as before. For 145 years now, you can see how passion and enthusiasm have flowed through the veins of the tanners, because this is the only way they can meet their high quality standards.
Let's go to the tannery together. Imagine you are standing in front of an old hall made of red brick. You see the thin, pale windows, each divided into small squares by iron struts. You walk through the archway made of worn, dark oak. As you take your first step into the hall, you hear the now dark brown wooden floorboards creaking beneath you. You smell the tanning agents and feel the smooth surface of the freshly tanned leather. The machines, the wood, the passion; you can feel the past in all of these things. Most of the things are still as they were when they were furnished in 1877.
Maurice Bock experiences this journey through time every time he chooses leather for his bags. He usually uses harness leather, which is otherwise mainly used for equestrian sports. It is durable, resilient and robust. Harness leather is waxed in a special way. It is called "burn-in waxing". Simply explained, the leather is waxed completely through its material thickness, i.e. the thickness of the leather, using heat. Other types of leather are only waxed on the surface. With the burn-in waxing, the harness leather develops over time and acquires an individual patina - the bag thus writes its own story.
The unique selling point at Siegmund & Fritz is the lining of the bags with Harris Tweed®. The tweed fabric comes from the Outer Hebrides, an island group in Scotland. The basic material, wool, is used purely from the sheep living on the island. What sets Harris Tweed® apart from other tweed fabrics, such as Donegal Tweed or Cheviot Tweed, is the richness of the colors (The Heritage Post No. 19). The color patterns are based on the colors found in the landscape on the Hebrides. This creates natural color combinations that are based on the mostly earthy tones of the basic material. Harris Tweed® is also processed and woven exclusively by hand.
Bock is fascinated by Scotland. The rough landscape, the bare coasts, the peaty whisky. This is how he came up with the design idea of fusing leather with tweed. Maurice Bock focuses on simplicity when designing his products. No frills, no fringes, in short: no kitsch. He is guided by classic work bags in which everything can find its place: whether it's a thermos flask, a handle man, tools, a laptop, but there is also enough space for paperwork. The customer also has the option of customizing his bag himself, in addition to the classic combinations. The harness leather is available in ten colors, tweed is available in endless color combinations, Loxx buttons and metal parts such as carabiners allow free scope for the combination. But dimensions can also be determined as desired, so that everyone can receive their tailor-made bag within four to eight weeks.
At this point I would like to particularly mention the classic “Briefcase Mk. 1”. With internal dimensions of approximately 39 x 30 x 8 cm, it can hold pretty much anything you carry around with you on a daily basis. This bag also offers complete design freedom when it comes to combining leather, tweed and fasteners.
In addition to the products shown, Maurice Bock also produces leather goods that the customer wants. These include rifle cases, camera bags, cartridge bags, glasses cases and many other leather goods. We can take advantage of his personal advice - no matter where: in the office, in the workshop or at the bar. He stands for classic craftsmanship and values the tradition that he allows to flourish with each of his products.
Text • Finn J. Muchow | Photos • Marcel Bock