The Tradition of Personalization

Matt Hranek’s vintage alligator cigar case personalized by Fred, in the customary French style.

The tradition of personalization stems from Europe’s heraldic traditions and had its heyday in the 19th century. Back then, luggage personalization was a practical imperative employed to recognize and find one’s luggage easily during the great seasonal migrations of the European aristocracy. Tons of identical-looking trunks arriving at the Côte d'Azur or Malta was nothing short of a logistical nightmare.

Today, luggage and bag personalization is a token of individuality and elegance for the discerning. Customs vary from country to country, but most use a combination of names, stripes, initials, or numbers to distinguish bags. For instance, in the U.K., it’s customary to use the owner’s full first and last names, whereas in France, tradition dictates a piece of luggage be monogrammed with simply the initials of its owner. We find the latter strikes the perfect balance between privacy and polish.

As for color combinations, they are practically endless, yet, Fred consistently references the tradition and sport of British horse racing. The Benson & Hedges Book of Racing Colours, printed in England by Weather Oak Press Limited in 1973, is a wealth of information for anyone interested in the history of British racing colors. Nearly 10,000 registered owner’s racing colors, each one carefully drawn by hand and beautifully reproduced, adorn the book’s 364 pages. As a work of art and as a reference book, it’s unrivaled (and rare—first edition hardcover copies currently go for as high as $5,000).

F.E. Castleberry continues the tradition of personalization—albeit irreverently, of course—with bold stripes and sans serif initials on everything from Mark Cross briefcases to this vintage honey alligator cigar case commissioned by Matt Hranek. Through a seven-step process, monograms are hand-painted by Fred himself with specially formulated non-cracking paints designed to age gracefully with each piece. An exploration of something new, the old-fashioned way.