Dan and I have just got back from a trip to Italy, where we visited the family business that hand-makes our solid brass hardware. Here’s a few shots of the experts at work; forming, welding, and polishing the brass into shape. We have some really beautiful new hardware coming through on new designs over the […]
Category Archives: Stuff & Knowledge
What is “vegetable” tanning, exactly?
October 15, 2007 – 10:48 am
Dan and I were in Milan, by the way, for the Leather Fair, Anteprima, to see what was new for AW08 and to introduce Dan to some of the tanners I use. He asked, how, out of so many tanneries, do I choose which leathers are the best?
Here’s how I tried to explain the […]
Where to get a good tan
June 4, 2007 – 4:42 pm
Years ago, when I was the designer at Mulberry, I remember showing some important customers around the factory in Somerset. One of them was fascinated by the fact that the leather wasn’t supplied on an endless roll, like fabric would be. Of course, she quickly realised the impossibility of this but, with the fashion industry […]
When ‘passed off’ could get you Brassed Off
November 20, 2006 – 4:15 pm
Something you should look out for when buying leather goods is the difference between solid brass (as seen on our travel pieces above) and Zamac, which is a cheap imitation.
You can often tell Zamac by its “mock” aged look, a sort of fake antiquing to make it look ye-olde-brassy. It looks moderately better this way, […]
How to spot a Quality Zip
October 2, 2006 – 9:43 pm
Sorry to be geeky. I know zips aren’t a very sexy subject (or are they?).
But I thought you’d like to know that all of ours are made by a Swiss manufacturer called RiRi, who make the best quality zips in the world.
Each ‘tooth’ is individually stamped from Tombac, a brass alloy.
The teeth are then polished […]
Inking
September 7, 2006 – 4:57 pm
Here’s a detail of quality inking on the edges of our Overnight Cabin Bag.
I really enjoy the genuine pleasure people get discovering how things are made. Nothing beats taking world-weary customers around a workshop and seeing their faces light up when the skills that make up a quality product are revealed. I still get a […]