Frank Clegg doesn’t just make leather bags; he crafts heirlooms, one at a time, by hand.

While Frank and his small team of craftsmen design and build elegant leather goods under the Frank Clegg Leatherworks name, the workshop also produces exquisite products for some of the most revered of American luxury labels.

Frank is an artist of the old school; he learned craft over time and understands that when true luxury is involved, less is definitely more.

As with many true craftsmen, he has decades of experience and a repository of thousands of designs, both executed and waiting to be brought to life. Frank is a design and inspiration omnivore – the result of genuine curiosity and New England pragmatism. The more you know, the more you have to offer.

His bags and accessories grace the days of doctors, lawyers, artists, businessmen and globetrotting executives. The relationships he builds over time lead to new designs and the demanding exactitude of his customers keep sharp an attention to quality and detail.

Take for example the simple pen sleeve. In so many bags, a place to put your pen is an afterthought; necessary but uninspired. In Frank’s bags the pen sleeve is part of the interior experience of the bag. It is honored.

The internal components of a Frank Clegg bag are kept to a minimum. Each pocket has a purpose and their scarcity forces the owner to selectively choose the items he carries. Such a bag inspires one to only put in it things of beauty, substance, and purpose. Hence the large, carefully formed pen sleeves. They almost beg for a vintage fountain pen, which Frank collects, or sleek, modern carbon composite roller ball.

Aware of his own depth of knowledge, Frank is also a generous mentor. Young, talented artisans and designers who see him as a font of practical knowledge and priceless experience regularly seek him out. They always leave richer in knowledge and ready to someday pass along the skills they too will develop over time.

Luxury leather work is a deceivingly complex craft. Even the modern conveniences of machines and computerized design must bow to the master of time, because it still takes time to create such durable beauty.

Frank may practice an age-old craft, but this creative innovator is very much on the pulse of today’s luxury goods market. An examination of his new Aiden Duffle Bag provides proof of this pioneering craftsman’s skill and ability to tweak tradition to meet the needs of a modern customer.

The Aiden is named for Frank’s father and updates his traditional carry-on bag with a modern, clean design. Its compact shape, reminiscent of a traditional doctor’s bag, belies some serious space, accessed through Swiss RiRi zipper that spans the bags’ entire length. The shape is distinctly streamlined and minimal, referencing a mid-century modern aesthetic, allowing the luxuriously soft tumbled leather and stunningly precise stitching to shine through.

The bag’s interior is a single open compartment devoid of any lining. Such finishing requires a master’s touch, as every aspect of the bag is open to detailed examination.

Interior seams are prefect and here the quality of the hand-selected leather is truly seen. The delicately arched handles and 1¼-inch shoulder strap bring sturdy functionality and visual balance to the bag.

The Aiden bag, and Frank Clegg himself, are examples of how modern innovation and hand crafted luxury can blend together to create something modern, classic, functional and timelessly stylish.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by LEXUS via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of LEXUS.