The Bags of LEON FLAM, Loved by Aviators

The Beginnings of Airplanes and LEON FLAM

The airplane, something we take for granted today, was invented in 1903 by the Wright brothers, andLEON FLAMwas founded about ten years later. In 1911, cargo transport by air began in England. That same year, at the Universal Postal Exhibition held in India, a French pilot reportedly made the world's first flight to carry mail. This became the catalyst for the start of airmail services in England and Italy.

In France, the company Aéropostale was established (the predecessor of today's Air France), and it began by carrying mail between France and Barcelona, Spain. Not long after, in 1924, LEON FLAM was founded. The bags made by LEON FLAM, designed to withstand the rigors of "travel," were favored by travelers and pilots in Paris.

The Bags Pilots Loved to Use

At the time, airplanes had no roofs. One can imagine that flying involved not only dreams and adventure, but also harsh conditions and real danger. Looking at the bags pilots relied on, we can catch a glimpse of how they were built with sturdy materials, parts, and functionality able to withstand such flying conditions. For example, the high-density canvas fabric and leather thoroughly soaked in wax appear to have been chosen to protect the contents from getting wet during flights exposed to wind and rain.

The vivid red fabric lining the interior gives off a distinctly French sense of style, but it can also be seen as a clever way to make it easier to see the contents of a bag with such generous capacity.
On the front, there is a fairly large pocket, big enough to hold a paperback book.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of the famous French picture book "The Little Prince," was himself one of Aéropostale's pilots. It seems he was the kind of person who read books even while flying, and imagining him tucking a book into that easily accessible front pocket during his travels brings a touch of warmth to the otherwise grueling world of early aviation. The leather flap on the front is designed to keep the contents of the pocket from popping out, and this role of the pocket—holding important items—may well reflect a consideration for the vibrations experienced during travel by such vehicles.

In addition, the rounded leather handles, easy to grip, and the shoulder strap that allows the bag to be worn crossbody, are both thoughtfully designed and sturdily built to make it easier to carry heavy or precious luggage while traveling.

At the corners of the bag's base, leather patches are attached to reinforce and prevent the canvas from fraying—a detail still seen in bags today. These parts continue to be carefully crafted in the same way even now.

A Commitment to Materials

The materials used in LEON FLAM bags combine leather with canvas. Since leather alone would make a bag too heavy, it is thought that high-density canvas was paired with it to help reduce the overall weight. The canvas is a heavy-ounce fabric made in the Normandy region, coated with wax so that it develops character and richness the more it is used over time. The prized full-grain leather, meanwhile, is tanned using the traditional oak bark tanning method, resulting in a natural texture with the smoothness and durability unique to leather. This tanning method, unchanged for 2,000 years, uses tannin extracted from oak bark rather than specialized machinery or chemical agents, making it gentle on the environment—but also labor-intensive, which is why it is only practiced by a limited number of tanneries even within Europe.

The hides are tanned over a period of nearly a year, allowing the tannins to bond strongly and the fibers to become dense, resulting in highly durable leather. In bags that prioritize practicality by using leather for the parts subjected to the heaviest wear during carrying, the material offers a beautiful, natural coloring and an antique-like sense of luxury—one that promises to be all the more enjoyable to watch age and change with continued use.

Now, nearly 100 years since its founding, the same time-honored craftsmanship continues to be passed down. Every pattern, fabric, and accessory is made with a commitment to quality, sourced from France or Portugal, and each bag is carefully sewn by hand. Rather than mass-producing, LEON FLAM sets a fixed production quantity each year for its bags.

In an age when we choose to keep only what we truly need, LEON FLAM bags—having played their part throughout history—carry a story that adds value beyond the ordinary, making them the kind of bag you'll want to use and love for a long time.