About the Bags
The bags are made from European vegetable tanned leather. I select full shoulder skins from various UK suppliers and specify the colour, thickness and finish of leather. I often have the reverse side of the skins coated to improve the finish of the final bag. The leather is produced by a traditional process that uses natural vegetable tanning agents. As a result, the leather has unique properties enabling it to absorb water which facilitates moulding to produce shapes and finishes that could otherwise not be achieved.
The creation of each bag involves many hours or even days of work that commences with sketched designs which are then converted into measured cutting patterns. The individual pieces are then cut out by hand, their edges finished appropriately then the stitching holes are marked and punched out. The bag starts to take shape when the individual pieces are assembled and saddle stitched together by hand in the traditional way using waxed linen thread, which ensures that all stitched seams are as strong as the leather itself. Other techniques may include creasing then folding the leather to create depth, soaking then moulding the leather to create a unique shape or design and burnishing and polishing to seal and finish seam edges. The bags are finally waxed and polished to enhance the natural appearance of the leather. As linings for this type of leather bag are less robust than the bag itself, much care is taken over the quality of the bags’ unlined internal finish.
I have developed a selection of bag designs that may be customised using a range of colours and weights of leather and an assortment of fixtures and fittings. I also welcome individual commissions .
The creation of each bag involves many hours or even days of work that commences with sketched designs which are then converted into measured cutting patterns. The individual pieces are then cut out by hand, their edges finished appropriately then the stitching holes are marked and punched out. The bag starts to take shape when the individual pieces are assembled and saddle stitched together by hand in the traditional way using waxed linen thread, which ensures that all stitched seams are as strong as the leather itself. Other techniques may include creasing then folding the leather to create depth, soaking then moulding the leather to create a unique shape or design and burnishing and polishing to seal and finish seam edges. The bags are finally waxed and polished to enhance the natural appearance of the leather. As linings for this type of leather bag are less robust than the bag itself, much care is taken over the quality of the bags’ unlined internal finish.
I have developed a selection of bag designs that may be customised using a range of colours and weights of leather and an assortment of fixtures and fittings. I also welcome individual commissions .
