Between late August and October 2018, UK Leather Business Development Manager Jessica Aiers drove 4,223 miles and travelled a further 830 miles by train and hire car to visit over 40 UK-based leather businesses. (That's not Jess in the photo, far too much hair...)
This was a quest to visit as many people and companies as possible; to better understand UK Leather members' and non-members' concerns, and to see where and how they worked. The range of different business was vast, from traditional tanneries to shiny high-tech ones, hand-sewn luxury goods to leather as art, from hide dealers to self-taught artisans.
What all businesses had in common was the desire to promote the creation and use of leather in the UK and abroad, to lobby for the statutory protection of leather, to network better and publicise their business, to uncover information about further opportunities to improve their craft and to build their community of like-minded individuals and companies in this highly-skilled sector.
This is exactly what are doing as we implement our five-year strategy, with 2019 being the year when we will launch a new brand identity, a new online British Leather Directory and several other tools to represent and promote the interests of those who produce, support, supply and use leather in the UK.
Watch this space to see how we can help you with your leather business.
