Sivani Designs' Secret Ingredients Part I – Waxed Cotton Canvas

Every respectful manufacturer would tell you that to make a great product, one must start with sourcing the highest quality materials. And, trust me, I am a sucker for high quality natural durable materials, sourced from American manufacturers. The motto I live by every day is “Quality over Quantity” and I apply it when creating my products. I design for Sivani Designs, thinking about how my products would be passed down from this generation to the next... I design them to last a lifetime and some more.

You can have the coolest design but if you use cheap materials, the final product falls apart quickly, and is of no use to anybody. I don't cut any corners when it comes down to finding the best, the most durable, the most time-tested, and the most American manufactured supplies. Yes, sourcing takes time and sometimes I go through trial and error but once I pull it all together, all that time and sweat is well-worth.

Writing this series of posts is something I've wanted to do for a long time. It is my way to pay respect to the companies that make my product awesome by making their products the best. Here is a run-down of Sivani's secret ingredients (the high quality materials we use in our bags): waxed cotton canvas, Horween Chromexcel leather, YKK zippers, 100% wool, nickel and brass hardware.

For the sake of your eyes and your time, I will concentrate only on the waxed cotton canvas in this post.

Waxed Cotton Canvas

Waxed Cotton Canvas

Not just any waxed cotton canvas will do the job. Canvas comes in all sorts of weights and weaves. It has to be simply the best and the right one for the purpose. I use #10 Duck cotton canvas with wax finish.

What should #10 Duck mean to you? Duck canvas differs from plain canvas in that the threads in the Duck canvas are more tightly woven, therefore the fabric is more durable. To add to the point of durability, I must give you all the juicy details - the #10 Duck canvas I source weights 14.7 oz/sq. yd. before finishing with wax and approximately 19.84 oz/sq. yd. after applying the waxed finish.

Drum roll, please... Time to reveal the magicians behind the waxed cotton canvas goodness...

The Martin Corporation, located in New Jersey.

Martin Corporation Plant

Image Source: martindyeing.com

This fantastic company has been an American manufacturer since 1838 and currently is ran by a 7th generation of dyers and finishers. The Martexin Original Wax finish was developed in the early 1900s, which makes the formula about 4 times my age old. It uses a high percentage of food quality waxes and is environmentally friendly, food and pharmaceutical graded, therefore completely non-hazardous. The fabrics, treated with this finish are unique and responsive and will mark, wrinkle, and over time develop a patina similar to leather. These fabrics have excellent performance in wet environments and are steeped in a long tradition of use in outer wear and outdoor products.

Interesting Fact: Duck Canvas with wax finish was the first choice waterproof clothing for the British armed forces during World War II and the traditional fabric used by the US government for equipage items.

Waxed cotton canvas and genuine leather is the perfect pairing just like a glass of aromatic Cabernet and a juicy ribeye steak. Please, stay tuned for my next post - Sivani Designs' secret ingredients Part II – Horween Chromexcel Leather.

Do you know more interesting facts about waxed cotton canvas? Drop a line in the comments box and let us know.

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