Since 1973, Roots has been an integral part of the Canadian retail landcape. Founders Michael Budman and Don Green have built the Roots brand from one small location into the internationally recognized organization it is today. From their humble beginnings with their Negative Heel Shoe to the world famous poorboy hats of the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Roots has continued to demonstrate how to be successful in the Canadian market.
A huge part of the reputation that Roots has built for itself comes from Roots Genuine Leather Products, including their leather bags. These bags are made by hand for men and women alike in Roots’ state-of-the-art Toronto manufacturing facility. Each Roots Genuine Leather product is made with genuine Italian leather. The production of Roots Genuine Leather Products has remained a time-honoured family tradition to this day.
From waist packs to messenger bags, Roots leather bags come in a variety of leathers, designs and colours to fit almost any need. Some of the most common types of leather that Roots uses in their bags are Lux leather, Prince leather, woven leather and the very popular Tribe leather.
The different types of leathers that Roots uses in their bags are intended to be functional under different circumstances. Prince leather bags are the most popular Roots leather to date and are designed to stand up to rain, stain or champagne. This leather is drum-dyed to ensure the entire hide and this supple leather is also milled for a pebbled appearance.
Lux leather is a “Natural” leather in that it is tanned with pure dyes that do not contain any additional chemicals or finishes. This tanning process results in vibrant deep colours that are dyed all the way through essentially resulting in a scratch resistant bag. This leather is dried naturally through a hanging process, thus maintaining the original properties of the leather. The benefits of this process are the resulting unique characteristics and these pieces will become softer and more unique over time. Natural leather cannot be treated or cleaned thus allowing time to work it’s magic on the bag resulting in a more supple, soft individualistic piece.
Tribe leather is a leather that is exclusive to Roots. It is a very identifiable leather and is very sought after for it’s unique look. Tribe leather is not to be considered an everyday piece due to the natural state of the leather. Due to the unique and environmentally friendly tanning process used, each bag will look different than any other bag produced. As this leather is not treated like most other leathers, it is comparable to skin in that it has open pores. The downside of this leather is the possibility of dye transfer. An example of this would be a brand new pair of jeans that have not been washed can have their dye absorbed into the Tribe leather’s pores. The benefit is that this leather will look better and better as time passes and that the leather will become extremely soft to the touch over time.
No matter which option you decide on, the thing that remains certain is that Roots stands behind their leather. With a lifetime warranty on all manufactured parts and a 6 month warranty on the entire bag, you can be certain that your bag can be purchased with confidence.
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