'Ichizawa Hanpu is the world's most luxurious bag company' – Tyler Brûlé

Tyler Brûlé writes the weekly "Fast Lane" column for The Financial Times, focusing on what's best of the best in all areas world-wide.

He also write "Perfect Bound," a column which appears in the New York Times Magazine Style supplement.

In his March 19 column in The Financial Times he defined a luxury brand as follows: "Exceptional craftmanship, timeless design, limited production and limited access."

He then declared Ichizawa Hanpu, a small Japanese shop in Kyoto that began making canvas sails for Japan's imperial fleet, "the world's most luxurious bag company."

He wrote, "The thing that puts Ichizawa Hanpu in a different league from Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton is price. A rugged, hold-everything tote military green will set you back ($49)."

He continued, "Part of the store's appeal is that shoppers have to arrive early, because bags are produced in small runs and once they're gone may not return."

The shop will happily take special requests and make any style, in any color combination you like.

I enjoyed exploring the company's website, even though my Japanese is long since gone.