The Beauty of Patina

During the summer, I found a beautiful, broken-in Coach messenger bag at a thrift store for a great deal. The black leather featured numerous nicks and scratches, making it look rugged and vintage. The bag had a patina: a surface that grows more beautiful with age. High-quality materials like full-grain leather and Japanese selvege denim develop patinas.

Patinas are a sign of premium quality. In today’s consumerist economy, products are made in mass and with cheap materials to maximize profits. These products don’t develop a patina, they aren’t meant to. If they break, you buy a new one. But certain products are made with premium materials and superior construction that are meant to last a lifetime. Over time the cost per wear is worth the upfront cost. Plus it’s better for the environment if you aren’t constantly breaking and replacing product.

Patinas also means the piece is well-used or as I like to say, well-loved. Each scratch and dent has a story and it gives the piece character. No other piece will have the same patina either.