One of the characteristics that makes a Handmade by Harriet product so unique is that we stitch every piece by hand. By doing this, we can ensure that when you own one of our items it will be truly exclusive and made with the utmost care and dedication by me and my family.

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One of the challenges of hand-stitching leather is that it takes a significantly longer time to produce an item. When you combine that time, and the fact that we use only the highest quality leather and materials, it's easy to see why the price of hand-stitched pieces can be higher than those made by machine. On the plus side, our products have proved to be far more durable and only get more beautiful with age.

 

I'm in love with the process of my work. Similarly to my singing and acting career, there's a continuous learning and development when working with leather. The dance between needle, thread and awl requires coordination, and when mastered, compensates with a huge amount of satisfaction. 

When you purchase a Handmade by Harriet piece, you purchase something that has been designed to fit into your everyday routine. We want to make your life easier by providing you with something that is made-to-measure, designed to last a lifetime, and ages with the utmost grace.  

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I can't stress that no animals have been killed for their skin enough– the skin is a byproduct of the meat industry and I live under the motto that "Nothing should go to wast!" 

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I only use vegetable-tanned skin, which uses only the infusion of tree bark, twigs, leaves and water, taking much longer than chrome tanning, the other widely-used tanning method in the leather industry.  Tanning with plant substances has existed for over 5,000 years and was, for many centuries, the main tanning method. Recently, the more modern and industrialised tanning methods have become common and I am proud that my bags are in the only 10 - 12% of all leather that is vegetable-tanned in the world. 

 

While vegetable tanned leather does take longer to produce, in a process requiring the care of skilled craftsmen,  making for a more expensive product, the tradition and handmade process adds to the richness and the exclusivity of vegetable tanned leather, in stark contrast to the mass produced chrome tanned leather. It also adds to vegetable tanned leather products impressive ageing and longevity, whereas the chrome tanned products will wear badly and crack sooner rather than later.

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