The Fischer Voyage

When you think luxury leather goods, what do you think? I personally think Louis Vuitton and Hermes, but there may be a new player in the leather goods market-- Fischer Voyage. Started in the last couple of years, Steven Fischer, a former Northwestern lecturer and luxury consultant, created the brand to break the mold of Italian, British, and French luxury dominance and introduce American flair into the industry. Fischer's foray into the luxury industry began in 2013, with the creation of his Prairie bag (pictured below), which retails for just under ten thousand dollars. The bag is 100% hand-crafted in the Midwest, and uses leather from Chicago's oldest tanneries and brass pieces from saddle makers. Though his life has been focused on luxury (he spent a number of years lecturing at Kellogg on the luxury industry), Fischer says that the inspiration for his bag was actually one he found in rural Kentucky. 

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Fischer notes that this bag caused him to fixate on American provenance. Though Fischer had a deep understanding of the luxury market before this new journey, he says that this taught him more than anything about what actually goes into creating a luxury brand and a luxury bag-- from the handmade brass pieces to making connections in order to actually get the bag off the shelves and into consumers' hands.

All of Fischer's hard work paid off-- the Prairie bag debuted at Harrods in London, and has been featured on the Financial Times' gift guide. Though not many bags have been sold in the U.S., Fischer asserts that this is probably due to the all-American feel of the good. Because American consumers are taught that luxury leather is from Europe, American consumers may not be the right market for these goods-- though European and Middle Eastern consumers may be perfect.

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More recently, Fischer was approached about creating a bespoke belt for a customer (pictured below). At just under 1,500 dollars, this may seem like a bargain compared to his Prairie bag though it has the same craftsmanship and care behind it. 

Fischer's website states that "You cannot argue with a naysayer. You can, however, prove them wrong." While we are sure there have been many people who told Fischer that his dream was impossible and that creating a luxury bag in America is ineffective, his product is simply stunning and will surely prove the naysayers wrong.

Learn more about the Fischer Voyage at their website and on Facebook. 

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