The folks at Kapdaa contacted me from India to offer a sample of a very cool concept: notebooks covered in leftover fabrics from clothing. An offcut is the material that remains after the clothing pattern has been cut out. Often it just goes to waste, but Kapdaa uses these remnants to make attractive cloth-bound journals (as well as other product like iPad sleeves and bookmarks). They have 3 lines, all hand-bound in India:

– Formal offcuts (such as Pinstripe suits offcuts);
– Casual offcuts (including Casual shirt offcuts); and
– Indian offcuts (Bright cheerful colour offcuts).

I received a 4×6″ lined journal. It’s covered in a dark navy pinstripe fabric with a pleasantly soft feel. The binding is nicely done, with tight squared corners and everything precisely aligned. I personally prefer rounded corners and less cover overhang, but others will like this just fine!

The endpapers are black, with some information about the company. I love the way black endpapers look, even if they aren’t very practical for being able to write your name! There is no ribbon marker, pocket, or elastic closure.

The binding opens completely flat. The ruled lines are a medium grey, with a bit of extra space at the top. The paper feels very smooth. The cream color is just slightly cooler than the paper in Moleskine notebooks.

All my usual pens worked well, with fountain pen ink looking a little lighter in color than in does on some paper. Show-through was average, and there was no bleed-through except with the Accu-liner and Super Sharpie.

 

The company is still just getting off the ground, so there’s no retailers or pricing information yet, but you can follow their Facebook page for the latest news. If this early sample is any indication, I think they’ll be a nice addition to the many notebook brands in the market.