Today I was delighted to be observing the Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers being awarded a Fellowship of the University of Northampton at their July Degree ceremonies, to the obvious delight of their Chancellor, The Rev. Richard Coles who grew up locally in a leather footwear family. The Reverend Coles gives every impression […]
Philip Roth had a good glove teacher
When Philip Roth wrote about the glove industry he did good research, and anyone keen to learn about gloves, particularly the dress glove business, should definitely read this book. Roth travelled to that most famous American city of gloves – Gloversville – in up state New York and met with senior, experienced glove industry experts […]
Heading to Japan
After a week in Shanghai at the All China Leather Exhibition a trip to the traditional area of Japan (watch this video to see what I am going to be looking for) is quite contrast. Being in Shanghai at this time is to be absolutely at the leading edge of the commercial and technical changes […]
Restarting the Museum of Leathercraft
POSTED ON JULY 18, 2014 The Museum of Leathercraft All of the Honorary Leather Graduates at this week’s ceremonies studied last century and some come from the days when leather teaching in the UK had three Campuses. Leeds University, Leathersellers in London and Northampton. It was in the 70s when they all got combined into […]
Africa then and now
POSTED ON FEBRUARY 17, 2014 Out of Africa I do not know how many times over about the last thirty years I have stood in the balcony of a room at the Addis Hilton to look of the town. The sounds and the smells are just the same but two big differences stand out. Nearly […]
Alumni are important and Innovation in the leather industry
POSTED ON JULY 8, 2013 Two items below The Value of Alumni When I was working on helping the Pakistan Government update their strategy for the leather industry a few years ago I had the opportunity to visit large numbers of tanneries and shoe factories. What was astonishing was that in factory after factory I […]
Leather Technology in the 13th century
We talk loudly today about leather being a high performance material, but it has clearly been a key material in many technologies going back millenia. My university tutor, Stanley Briggs, used to enjoy telling us that leather had been a vital element in almost every aspect of the development of civiliation. It had been used […]
SLTC Conference, Corium Club and Kano
POSTED ON FEBRUARY 29, 2012 Events, dear boy, events We have already spoken about how the SLTC conference on 28th April in Northampton looking interesting and the Textile conference (now postponed to October) but every year at Hong Kong the BLC along with the APLF have been running an afternoon seminar. The agenda this year […]
Samuel Pepys, his Diary and his Wallet; all connected by leather
POSTED ON AUGUST 26, 2011 Samuel Pepys, his Diary and his Wallet Just last week BBC Radio 4 was running the Diary of Samuel Pepys. He began writing it in 1660, when he was just 26. You can still hear it on the BBC Listen Again system which I think works free of charge worldwide. […]
COTANCE on leather labelling issues, and an item on famous leather chemists
POSTED ON JUNE 24, 2011 Two items below COTANCE press release June 2011 COTANCE complains against the adoption by the EU of a penalising descriptor for Leather on Textile clothing labels The representatives of the European Leather Industry meeting in Council in Rome regret the approval of the EU Regulation on Textile Names and Labelling […]