Seventy Eight Percent
Style, quality and function in a refined accessories line
Designer Shai Levy launched Seventy Eight Percent three years ago when he saw a gap in the accessories market. “I noticed there were a lot of stylish bags, some of high quality and some that were functional, but I had a hard time finding pieces that combined all three of those qualities,” says Levy. “That’s what our Seventy Eight Percent bags aim to do.”
With a design philosophy that holds quality, functionality and the relationship between individual and object above all else, Levy approaches each project considering the user first. “I think of the creative professional,” says Levy. “The person that needs a bag to be first of all functional and able to carry all the supplies they are going to need for that meeting, and, secondly, a bag that is going to make a statement—the right impression when they bring it into that meeting.” In order to meet these standards, each Seventy Eight Percent piece goes through rigorous working and reworking process starting with a series of paper models and gradually working up to constructions out of leather and canvas.
Based out of Levy’s new home base in Hong Kong, Seventy Eight Percent sources its materials internationally and its craftsmen locally in order to ensure the highest level of quality. When thinking about materials for Seventy Eight Percent, Levy, an ex-outdoor gear designer, wanted to stay away from the synthetic fibers he knew and work with natural materials. “From the beginning, I knew I wanted to work with vegetable-tanned leather because it ages well, and I wanted the quality of our products to be evident when someone touched them,” says Levy. Using sturdy, Japanese wax-coated canvas and sleek, Italian vegetable-tanned leather, Levy has built a collection of bags designed to last.
In line with the Seventy Eight Percent philosophy, each bag is handmade, and, as a result of the materials, no piece is the same. With the individual in mind, each bag comes in assortment of sizes and colors ranging from bright blue leather wallets to deep brown messenger bags. Prices range from $625 for the classic Shults briefcase to $110 for the Fritz wallet.
You can find Seventy Eight Percent bags now at Treasure and Bond as well as online where they will be launching a new line of Japanese denim bags by the end of July 2012.
