A long running item, the Essential Bag was originally Leather and Linen from Italy, issued throughout 1985. Beginning in Fall 1986 it was changed to all leather from Brazil. In Fall 1988 the bag was issued in black leather. “Exactly the right size for essentials–everything you don’t want to leave in your hotel room.”
Leather and Linen Essential Bag
Robyn's fascination with Banana Republic began in 1984 when her Alaskan adventurer father began buying the clothing and giving her the catalogs. She loved the clothes and as an artist she was drawn to the illustrations. She went on to study illustration at art college in BR's hometown of San Francisco and worked for years as a background artist for animation. She is now based in Oakland, CA as a graphic designer and illustrator with Secret Fan Base . She's been collecting and archiving at Abandoned Republic since 2011. 
Newly Updated! 1985-1988 Available.
Oh wow, I had the leather essential bag. I know I had that thing for years, now I’m wondering if it survived my pandemic decluttering. I still have a matching leather coin purse.
Mea culpa, the coin purse was Outback Red, not BR. Still trying to locate the bag, what else should I be doing at 5:00am when I can’t sleep? 😉