Leather is my passion, A lifetime of use is my belief. I hand craft everyday items with leather sourced from an traditional tannery in south Devon.
J&FJ Baker is Britain’s only remaining traditional oak bark tannery, and to this day employs techniques dating back to the time of the Romans. Using hides from Devonshire beef herds, and oak bark from wales, this leather is strong, hard wearing and beautiful. Oak bark tanning is a very gentle slow process, taking about 12 months to turn hide to leather, protecting the natural fibres and allowing the hide to retain natural features like growth lines and marks and scars, honoring the animal it once was. Oak bark or vegetable tanned leather (leather tanned from any tree bark) uses nothing but water and natural tannins from bark, thus allowing the material to biodegrade and return to the earth.
My collection is a range of belts and bags, with each piece being made entirely by hand from the first cut to final stitch and polish, using traditional techniques and old leather working tools. Each piece I design is adaptable to any environment, from farm to city, dinner party to dog walk, gym to sailing yacht. They have been designed with practicality in mind as well as elegance, and take their names from the landscapes that surround me as I work.
We are starting the conversation about how the South West can produce more home-grown textiles and garments in a more healthy, resilient and regenerative textile ecosystem.
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