LONDON — Ratsey & Lapthorn — which holds the claim of being the world’s oldest sailmaker in continuous operation with a history of serving some of the best-known classic sailing yachts including Maurizio Gucci’s Creole and John F. Kennedy’s Manitou — on Friday will unveil a bag collection in a bid to bolster the brand’s presence in the fashion and lifestyle sector.

Made in limited batches, the inaugural line features eight styles in canvas and leather, with details inspired by the brand’s highly prized sails, such as diamond stitching, knot charms, and rat tails — a technique used to taper ropes for the corners of a sail.

The more democratically priced totes, gym bags, laptop cases and pouches are made in Italy, while the bucket-style Ditty is handcrafted in the seaport town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, England, by the same group of artisans who continue to make sails in a traditional fashion at a 10,000-square-foot loft.

A set of Ratsey & Lapthorn classic sails can cost up to 300,000 pounds, while an individual sail can cost from 1,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds, depending on the size and the amount of detailing required.

Retailing for around 2,000 pounds, Ditty comes with hand-sewn brass eyelets and a hand-knotted strap made with hand-woven cord that comes with a distinctive red string, a nod to the color of the brand’s signature half moon motif, seen on the bags as well as the sails throughout history.

The bag collection is launching with a direct-to-consumer approach, and several activations are in the pipeline at key upmarket destinations to reaffirm its nautical heritage. In September, for example, the brand will have a presence during the Monaco Classic Regatta to promote the bags.

Founded by George Rogers Ratsey in 1790, Ratsey & Lapthorn played a crucial role in transatlantic maritime history, having made sails for the Royal Navy, the British royal family, as well as British and American challengers for the America’s Cup.

But with the rise of performance-driven, high-tech modern sailing, Ratsey & Lapthorn has been looking to pivot under its current majority owners: Simon Brazier, a former fund manager, and Jim Hartley, founder of Quba, a sailing clothing and accessories brand.

In 2017, the two purchased the brand from Paralympic sailor Andrew Cassell and sailmaker David Banks, who had bought it from Mark Ratsey, the last family member to own the company. Some 10 percent of Ratsey & Lapthorn’s shares were sold to a group of private investors in 2023.

The brand has worked on several high-profile legacy ship restoration projects, such as the Cynara, a 96-foot classic yacht built by Camper and Nicholson in 1927 that was expertly restored in Japan in 2021, reinforcing its anchor positioning in the classic sailing sector. The brand in 2020 also opened a 4,000-square-foot branch in Barcelona to better serve the classic yachts in the Mediterranean.

At the same time, Ratsey & Lapthorn believes its well-documented experience of making bags out of heavy-duty canvas to carry coal and ice to yachts since 1790 solidifies the claim that Ratsey & Lapthorn is one of the world’s oldest bagmakers.

A new bag line based on that claim can serve as a stepping stone into the broader lifestyle sector and tap into the hardly fading quiet luxury trend.

“We were quite prominent on the East Coast of the U.S. through Boston, Florida and New York. Some older people still call their tote a Ratsey. We have a rather famous person in the world of fashion who has been following us for a long time on social media,” said Brazier, who took the role of chairman in 2023 after managing various funds in the city for 25 years. He declined to identify the person.

“We ended up having a Zoom call with him. We’re like: ‘How do you know Ratsey?’ He said: ‘Let me show you.’ He went out the back, and he got this red duffel bag a friend had bought in a vintage store in the U.S. It was red canvas with a white trim, and he said: ‘My friend had this bag, and I loved it, so I took it off him. Inside, it had this Ratsey & Lapthorn label that seemed 50 or 60 years old.’ My point was that these bags are collectables, particularly among people who have a sailing background,” Brazier continued.

To sailing industry veteran Hartley, who has been chief executive officer since 2017, the introduction of a proper bag line is a crucial extension of Ratsey & Lapthorn’s legacy.

“We want to get across this point that we have always made bags. We’re not a brand that has only been making sails and has now decided to make bags. Also, the area of sailmaking we do is for these classic boats. The differentiator there is the finishing details,” he said.

“If you own a classic boat, it’s just like a classic car. You want everything to be perfect, authentic and traditional. So things like the way we finish the corners of the sails, the rings, the rope work, the leather work. With that comes quite a lot of craftsmanship, and we have this apprenticeship program to help us protect that craft. The bag line is a means of keeping that craft alive and justifying having the training programs in place for apprentices,” Hartley added.

In addition to bags, Ratsey & Lapthorn has been asked to make all sorts of things throughout history, according to Hartley.

Most recently, the brand started making ‘straitjackets’ for swans and geese for transportation. “It made me think the other day, most of the swans in this country are part of the Royal Estate. Perhaps we could get our Royal Warrant back,” he quipped.

Ratsey & Lapthorn’s Royal Warrant expired following the passing of Prince Philip, but Hartley is not too worried. Given the Royal household’s love for sailing, he is confident that the brand will be granted a new one eventually.

“The Royal Warrant can only be granted by the King, the Queen or the next in line to the throne, none of whom sail currently, but we’re hopeful. The Princess of Wales is a very keen sailor. I’ve met her parents a couple of times, and they told me a lot about their family holidays. I think it’s inevitable that they will eventually actually buy a boat,” he added.

Since taking over the business, Ratsey & Lapthorn has returned to profitability, and new categories, as long as they make sense, present great growth potential, Hartley said.

“We’ve got a saying that goes through the business. ‘There’s only one standard of work in this loft and that is the very best.’ That goes back to [family member] Tom Ratsey in 1833. I think as long as we can stand behind that, then I think we’ll make other things.”

“The bag range is a natural one. The other natural one I can see us doing down the line will be some apparel. It would be inspired by crew wear. Whenever we make sails for significant boats, we’ll often outfit the crew,” he added.