Emerging Leatherworker of the Year 2025
Maisie Hill, a trainee leatherworker at Silverlining Furniture, has won the Heritage Crafts 2025 Emerging Leatherworker of the Year, supported by the Leathersellers’ Foundation, including a £1,000 prize awarded at a special presentation at Wentworth Woodhouse on Monday 17th November 2025.
The award celebrates a leatherworker who has made an outstanding start to their craft career. The winner is highly skilled amongst their peers, whilst raising the perceived value of their craft through sharing and awareness raising. They have given themselves a fantastic chance of achieving long-term success, perhaps overcoming disadvantage or setbacks along the way.
Maisie Hill is a junior craftsperson at Silverlining Furniture who rapidly transitioned into leatherworking with no prior experience, achieving promotion in just nine months. Her work is praised for its precision, quality, and technical skill, which rivals more seasoned artisans. Having recently created her own art furniture piece, Maisie blends a proactive approach with an innate talent for detailed workmanship.
Maisie Hill (left) with Heritage Crafts trustee Laura Southall
The two other finalists for the award were Ana Del Rio Mullarkey, a fashion designer specialising in leathercraft and the founder of her own brand ANA DEL RIO, and Ella Boucht, leatherworker and tailor. Both are supported by the Leathersellers’ Award at Cockpit, which helps cover studio costs and establish sustainable businesses.
Judges for the award included renowned leatherworker and Leatherseller, Bill Amberg.
The Leathersellers’ Foundation’s partnership with Heritage Crafts also provides training bursaries for early-career leatherworkers to develop their craft skills. The 2025 training bursaries were awarded to:
- Rob Price, from Cumbria, to train in leather shoemaking from the Ottowin Shop in Bristol and Carreducker in London.
- Michelle Wong, from London, to train in leatherworking from master craftsman Nigel Armitage, including bag construction, wet moulding, leather marquetry and box stitching.
- Emily Perigaud, from Brighton, to complete her studies with Mark Romain MBE at the Saddlery Training Centre in Wiltshire.
- Johnette’ Taylor, from London, to train in traditional leatherworking skills from April Mai, with the aim of developing a thoughtfully designed collection of leather travel bags.
Left to right: Ana Del Rio Mullarkey, Ella Boucht, Maisie Hill.
Left to right: Michelle Wong, Rob Price, Emily Perigaud, Johnette’ Taylor
The Leathersellers’ Foundation awarded Heritage Crafts a three-year grant of £86,400 in 2025 to fund the Emerging Leatherworker of the Year Award and to provide six leather training bursaries for new and early-career leatherworkers experiencing financial hardships.
Learn more about the Foundation’s work supporting the leather industry
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