Portfolio Document Holder in Pink Calf Leather

In Spring 2008, the Carbolic Smoke Ball buying team - Philip Jenks, his wife and three children - holidayed in Southern Italy. One of the reasons we were there was to visit the Lalex leather works at Pastorano, where they cut and manufacture calfskin accessories using traditional techniques.

We watched the leather being dyed in casks, then cut to pattern, then shaped by steam on wooden moulds, and finally stitched together - all by Italian craftsmen and women who took enormous pride in their work.

The result of this visit was that Lalex agreed to make a range of products for Carbolic, each branded with the scales of justice.

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When it came to designing a document holder, we were conscious that there are lots on the market, and we wanted to do something different. Lalex's design differs in the following ways:

- It is made of much softer calf leather than is commonly used. To the touch, it is unbelievably smooth.

- It is slightly smaller than most portfolios, being 320mm wide (about 12.75 inches). This makes it big enough to hold 250 sheets of A4 (we tried!), but does not put it in the briefcase category.

- It has a clever half-fold, which allows it to be rolled in half when not in use, or when it only has a few documents inside. A clever idea, since it can then fit inside a briefcase.

- The poppers that hold the portfolio shut are magnetic. No tiresome buckles!

As with all Lalex products, this is stylish, functional and beautifully made. It comes in a white presentatino box, andmakes an excellent present to a lawyer or other business person.