5 minute read
Hide and seek
Words and photos by JEREMY FLINT
HIDE & SEEK
Traditional saddlery techniques are still being used in Scotland today, and you can see the art of leather-making in action – if you know where to look
ABOVE:
The firm’s products are imprinted with a Mackenzie logo
RIGHT:
Simon HarveyPotts busy at work creating a Book Bag Creating leather products has been a tradition in Scotland for centuries, where leather has been manufactured to meet home demand as well as a large export trade.
Edinburgh has always been at the heart of leather manufacture in Scotland, where its tanneries, skins and products have developed significantly since the production of leather articles during the late 18th century, when shoes, saddles, snuffboxes and even drinking mugs were made.
Today, the leather industry in Scotland still thrives, and Simon Harvey-Potts is living proof. I met this exceptional master craftsman, who specialises in making the finest leather goods, at his workshop on St Mary’s Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town, just off the Royal Mile.
Simon and his team of skilled artisans (Ed Fernley and Andrew Dunn) at Mackenzie Leather craft these exquisite articles entirely by hand, using the most superior sourced hides from select tanneries across Europe.
“We are makers of timeless, classic leather goods ranging from briefcases, travel bags, shoulder bags and much more. Our attention to detail and craftsmanship ensures that we provide a quality item either made to order or off our shelf that will last a lifetime,” says Simon.
The beautiful, bespoke leather products are designed, made and sold exclusively in store, where visitors can enjoy a glimpse into the craft through the open-view workshop at the back of the showroom.
Simon says: “You can come into our shop, watch our craftsmen at work and see our items being made in front of you. If you see a bag in stock but would like it in another colour, we can get hides for you to view, and you can pick your own, having the bag made for you.”
Simon considers himself lucky to have found his calling during a gap year travelling around Europe in the early 2000s.
Simon’s journey into leather work began when he met some local leather artisans at a shop in Andalucía, Spain.
The beautiful, bespoke leather products are designed, made and sold exclusively in store, where visitors can see items being worked on
CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT:
Simon sews a brass buckle onto a Book Bag; the Mackenzie Leather shop on St Mary’s Street; creasing the edges of the hide; the firm’s seal of approval; marking out the bag’s tan shoulder strap
They showed Simon, who had excelled in arts and crafts at school, the ropes of the simple, traditional-style leather work of hand stitching and carving, and helped get him started by equipping him with some basic tools and techniques. Simon quickly developed a love for the trade and started making his own leather products. He knew that he wanted to do this as a career, saying: “It just felt right and natural to work with my hands and leather.”
Returning to Edinburgh, Simon followed his passion and honed his craft and leatherwork skills, while selling his products at local markets. A few years later, in 2004, he began an apprenticeship with Mackenzie Leather in Victoria Street, where he was taught how to make belts, bags, sporrans, wallets and briefcases by his good friend Tom Hirons. Simon went on to run his own weekend courses teaching participants the tools of the trade with the support of a business grant from The Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust.
As a young entrepreneur, Simon seized the opportunity to buy Mackenzie Leather Edinburgh on 11 November 2011 (aged 29) with a friendly push from his other half, Elena, Mackenzie’s creative director, and has built up the business (originally established in 1990) ever since, attending all the regional shows and relocating to his amazing new shop on the historic St Mary’s Street in 2017.
Despite the incredible challenges of Covid, Simon has kept busy with further product development, stock making, team training on products, and website growth.
Simon has become well recognised in his field, winning ‘Edinburgh’s Best Craft or Creative Business’ award in 2021 and ‘Scotland’s Best Craft or Creative Business’ award in 2018 at Scotlands Business Awards. Incredibly satisfied with the talented team and wealth of craftsmanship that has brought Mackenzie Leather to the forefront of the trade, Simon says: “I am proud of the Mackenzie family. We apply quality, passion and atmosphere to everything we do.” Leather is the key ingredient to Simon’s products, which combine beauty, comfort and practicality. Mackenzie Leather products are designed from the best quality raw materials, with hides sourced from Italy, Spain and the UK that arrive tanned and ready to shape into leather goods.
“We use vegetable tanned leather and oak tanned leather. All our fittings are UK made or bespoke from Italy. We hand cut and handmake everything we produce, essentially just buying in the material,” adds Simon.
Each item is made by hand, using unique, traditional saddlery techniques. This requires a range of different processes, from inspecting the hide to marking the pattern, cutting the shapes and straps, curving the edges, waxing, creasing, stitching, adding buckles, stamping and polishing to finish. From raw hide to end product, a bag can be completed in a few hours of hard graft.
No leather is wasted, all offcuts are used to make another product. Some of the most popular items are the British oak belts and Italian saddle hide handbags, shoulder bags, briefcases and Gladstone bags.
Of the many interesting and individual commissions received, one that stands out for Simon is a recent request to recreate the Calcutta Cup rugby ball used in the world’s first game of international rugby between Scotland and England, played at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh in 1871. “We made this ball from having one original in our possession and after four balls, we had cracked it,” enthuses Simon.
The making of the ball was also filmed for a new hour-long documentary called The Great Game, which will tell the inspiring story of this historic sporting match.
Having carved his way to the top of the Scottish leather goods industry through evolutionary design and skilled craftsmanship shaped over decades of labour and love, the future of Simon’s trade, Mackenzie Leather and the preservation of this heritage craft look promising. S
If you would like to find out more about Simon’s work or commission a piece yourself, go to mackenzieleatheredinburgh.com
