Alistair Tusting

To be a maker in the UK is quite a unique thing

There are very few makers of handbags and leather goods left in the UK, which gives us a unique place in the UK leather environment. It certainly equips us with the ability to respond to our customers’ needs personally and with flexibility. If you look at most leather-goods brands, they source most of their product out in Asia or Eastern Europe. That means they have a long, long tail of sourcing, so from the moment they design something to the moment it gets into a shop may be a six-month or year-long process. Therefore, they need to buy a lot of product, and then what they don’t sell, they’ll discount.

As a UK maker, we feel very close to the customer. A customer can walk in and we can make the product they’re looking for in a week. We don’t keep a big inventory of finished goods, so we aren’t overproducing and consequently don’t need to discount to clear stock. Offering the same price any time of year and not building extra margin in to allow us to discount means we’re selling at a reasonable price year-round.

The intangible value of Britishness

In Britain, we tend not to be that nationalistic in the sense of wanting to buy ‘made in the UK’. The UK has always been a trading country; we’ve been buying stuff in for 200, 300 years, and we’re quite comfortable with that. But around the rest of the world, everybody is really positive about products from the UK. Especially in the USA and in the wider Anglophone world, they like to have stuff that has that made-in-the-UK heritage behind it, and they really rate British craftsmanship.

I think it stems from two areas. In the men’s fashion world, there’s a cachet to men’s footwear made in the UK – it’s always been premium. And there’s also the Savile Row tradition of men’s tailoring, of an exceptional level of service and bespoke product which is fantastically well-made and durable. Italy and France might have sharper, edgier fashion, but in Britain, you’re going to know you’ve bought a very nice thing, and you aren’t shouting about it. British heritage in the fashion world is the ultimate quiet luxury.

A bag for life (or: why men don’t want a new bag)

Everyone thinks women are mad about their handbags, but we’ve learned it’s men that have undying affection for their favourite bags. They’re almost an adjunct to the owner’s personality. And so men absolutely cherish our ability to refurbish something that has lived a life and been a trusted companion.

About two or three times a month, men send us bags that need a little loving care. These bags tend to be 20, 25 years old. They can be almost completely and utterly destroyed through use. The joy of being able to put on a new handle, sort out the fittings and the edge bindings, and finally pass back to the customer a product which is going to get another 10 years’ use is just fantastic. That’s a real bonus for our customers, to know they can just send it back and we’ll fix it for them. Sometimes we even get people who come back and double up. They say, ‘Please fix my old bag, but I’ll have a new one as well at the same time.’ It’s wonderful to know they’ve had such a lovely experience that they want to invest again.

I’ve tested the limits of bag durability in my own life as well. Last year I took my oldest bag skiing and the airline destroyed it. I can’t really complain because it had done about 30 years of service and the fabric just gave out. I’ve kept it because I don’t want to throw it away, but I haven’t taken it downstairs and fixed it yet either. I’m sure I’ll find a way to use it again someday.

Leather has been around for a very, very long time – but there are innovations

Leather making has been around for millennia. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some really interesting new developments in making leather. Probably the most interesting developments in leather tanning over the last decade are new “wet-white” processes for pastels and vibrant colours reducing dye requirements and giving enhanced biodegradability showing this recycled product can be still improved even further. We’re buying tannages which are more sympathetic to the environment than previously, so that’s a great thing.

The other developments in our leather use involve doing our best to continue to use the most naturally-finished leather that we possibly can. This goes against the market because the expectation is for products to be more and more consistent and uniform. Using leather that continues to show that it is leather, in terms of its natural appearance, is important for us and this means buying from tanneries that support this philosophy.

A UK tannery, Stead’s, up in Leeds, is taking on making full-grain cow leather that gives a great demonstration of showing the beauty of the actual inherent hide that we’re working with – the grain and the texture of the skin – then creating on that some lovely colours with richness that shows the leather and the feel and the character of the leather in itself. Now about 25 percent of the leathers in our collection are made in the UK. Based on the leathers we’re getting now, I think that’s going to be an increasing feature of our product.

The market for leather goods is vast

The leather goods industry around the world is vast, with plenty of potential for newcomers to build viable careers and businesses. When you look at the biggest brands in the world – Hermès or Louis Vuitton – they’re making billions of Euros a year. The money being made from leather goods is almost unbelievable. Why wouldn’t you want the opportunity to work in that and have a fraction of that business? You need skilled people right through the process, whether it’s designers and craftspeople, or in the supply chain. Knowledge of leather enables you, in many ways, to engage in part of the fashion industry. Getting some knowledge of leather is a key thing that can help you go forward.