I find one of the most beautiful characteristics of leather is the natural flaws, it is an organic piece, not man-made, it is not uniform smooth, the grains and patina show us imperfections which makes each piece unique in its own sense. This is one reason I enjoy working with leather.
I only use leather that is a by-product of the food industry so no exotic leathers. I’m also trying to use reclaimed leathers where possible – which mean leathers that would be deemed as scraps or wastage. Considering the end of life of a product is also important to me as the amount of rubbish we throw away and how much ends in landfills and oceans, therefore I like the fact that leather is biodegradable.
A piece of leather can have subtle difference across the hide, even tiny millimetres difference in thickness. This is especially important to remember and something I have learned in working with leather especially the hand stamping finishing part. Even though I always test if a leather can be stamped on before making; each finished piece can have a slightly different effect when stamped on, this is not something that can be controlled. Slight marks can be made during the hammering process and alignment of letters can be slightly off as is indicative of the hand-crafted process and not done by machine. I hope you will enjoy and appreciate the experience of these unique characteristics especially as leather will age beautifully with use.
Maybe one of the reasons I enjoy using and working with leather is a reflection of myself; to be aware of my own imperfections and accepting them.
by Law: to feed my creative soul 