Guy Robertson Leather

My leather pieces are very precise for completely handmade goods but they are not the same as machine manufactured goods. Mass production uses laser cut or machine stamping out of identical leather components to produce multiple identical items. Such items often use extremely thin leather sandwiched around plastic or card to give the piece structure. When they wear they are frequently not amenable to repair. Even 'handmade' pieces may be made with leather using a custom-made jig and a press to cut out leather components and a machine to sew them. A line of stitches that might take an hour by hand might take a minute using a machine. So why not use a machine? Nothing is durable as leather that has been saddle-stitched by hand. A Saville Row suit is finished by hand. Art is made by hands not by machines.

Stitching with thread of a colour that matches that of the leather usually produces the neatest looking results. Having said that I regularly use contrast colour stitching as a witty styling detail. It is, however, more inclined to highlight small irregularities in the way that the stitches lie. If you view this as part of the charm of a truly handmade product that's great. If you view the possibility as an unacceptable flaw you may prefer machine made options.

I have worked with many thread types. Silk looks, feels and sounds, 'fabulous' but it is simply too delicate. I no longer use silk. Linen thread is traditional, particularly for hide products, and has many advocates. I use it occassionally. Polyester thread is made in a huge range of colours and dimensions. It is both strong and durable and is my thread of choice.

Leathers will change colour with handling and time. They usually darken in an irregular way resulting in a variegated patina.

Wipe gently with a damp cloth, but avoiding hot water. Apply small quantities of leather cream, allow to dry and buff with a lint-free cloth. For exotic leathers such as lizard and crocodile there are specialist leather creams. I like Reptan by Saphir.

I use suede a lot especially for for lining products but it is delicate and will mark easily. Avoid greasy fingers if possible. Suede tends to pick up fluff which spoils the look. A soft brush is the solution. There are suede cleaning products available.

"Unboxing" of branded goods has become a significant part of the purchasing and the giving and receiving of gifts. Guy Robertson Leather goods are now discretely marked with the GR monogram. They contain the maker's card and are packaged in signature orange tissue paper, closed with a branded sticker and protected by an orange envelope or postal box.

When you select a card wallet it makes sense to think about how you want to use it as well as the aesthetics. Choosing colours and colour combinations is naturally a part of the pleasure of buying from a custom maker. There are a variety of shapes of card wallet which include horizontal, vertical and folding. How many card slots would you like? Please note that it is often possible to put multiple cards in one slot. (I have a 2 pocket wallet in folded hide that easily takes 8 cards) Do you prefer rounded corners or square? Angled card slots or straight? You will see examples of all these designs between the Collection For Sale and the Bespoke section. Choices of size and elegant design need to be balanced with functional needs. Do you want to carry one card and one banknote or 12 cards and a wad of bills? The thickness of the wallet is dependant on the leather thickness and the number of layers. A single pocket unlined piece will have only 2 layers and the lowest thickness. Most people seem to prefer more than one pocket although, as stated above, it is possible to put several cards in 1 pocket. A 2 pocket unlined card holder (can be horizontal or vertical) will have 3 thicknesses while an unlined folding 2 pocket cardholder has 4 thicknesses when folded. A 2 pocket partially lined card holder will have 6 thicknesses when folded and 8 if the pockets are lined. In essence top quality handmade leather goods will always be “plumpier” and chunkier than the factory machine made options. Those use leathers that are as thin as 0.3 mm (I have dismantled lots of old pieces to study their construction) The card pockets are often lined with paper thin polyester rather than leather and everything is often sandwiched around thin plastic sheets to give structure. They tend to wear out quickly and cannot be repaired when damaged.