The Banker Bag.

posted by Michael Williams

Is there a more ubiquitous bag in New York than the canvas duffels that the bankers carry? I noticed the bags frequently around the city and would always try to find a store that stocks them. I was sure that I would be able to get one on the Upper East Side, but alas no luck. At that point I started doing research and eventually found out that the bags are made by the New Canaan, CT. based Warden-Brooks, Ltd. Around the same time as this duffel quest was going on – I was trying to come up with an idea for a holiday gift for my then client J. Press. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and commission my very own banker bag. Working with the J. Press creative director and the people at Warden-Brooks, we designed the beige canvas bag around some great deadstock navy and red wool webbing that we found on eBay. The result is a classic J. Press bag for all occasions.

The Goldman Sachs bag is obviously the most coveted and respected of all the investment bank options – not only for its classic navy and green design – but also because of the bank’s prowess in the cutthroat world of finance. That also raises the question of how you are treated when you carry an investment bank duffel? Are the salespeople at Bergdorf more helpful? Are women more interested in you? Feel free to speculate wildly in the comments.

Further Reading: Warden-Brooks in The New York Sun (PDF)

Comments on “The Banker Bag.”

    kf on April 28, 2008 2:42 PM:

    Are these J.Press bags available for purchase?

    Michael Williams on April 28, 2008 3:02 PM:

    Dear KF,

    No, they were just made for a gifting. Sorry!

    Regards,
    A Continuous Lean

    TINTIN on May 5, 2008 6:35 PM:

    With Ralph Lauren knocking off military uniforms from WWII and Vietnam (next he’ll offer The Medal of Honor with his initials), I suspect his agents have already seen this and will soon offer these very same bags with Private Investment firms and NYC banks. All with his initials somewhere.

    Sarah on June 30, 2008 6:39 AM:

    THANKS so much for posting this entry. I have been looking ALL over for info on how to source this ubiquitous Wall Street bag.

    AJ on January 23, 2009 4:07 PM:

    Hi,
    Where can I find anything like what is shown above? I really like the banker bags I see all over NYC but can’t find anything like them.

    thanks
    aj

    SCMNYC on February 4, 2009 4:53 PM:

    I actually sell quite a few of them to investment banks in and around NYC – seems like other industries are starting to pick up on them as well.

    SJK on December 11, 2009 2:53 AM:

    I managed to snag one of these of the bay a while back; now I know its origin.

Comments are closed.