MADE IN ENGLAND

-
MADE IN ENGLAND

Making “Made in England” products from Identity Vegetable Tanned Leather

Background

What does “Made in England” mean in the 2020s? A whiff of patriotism, support of English communities, fewer miles travelled, so better for the Earth? It gives a fuzzy feeling. The following is offered for guidance.

Made in England

Made in England has rarely implied that all materials from which the product is crafted, have to originate from England (or the UK). Ask yourself where iron, steel, aluminium, tea, cotton or coffee come from. Governments worldwide have differentiated products where components are made abroad and simply assembled in their country, from products that are fashioned out of a partially processed raw material, that is not available locally. Goods are deemed to be manufactured or produced in a country in which they last underwent a treatment or process, resulting in a substantial creative change. Land Rover is a British brand par excellence, owned by Tata of India, and built in Brazil, China, India, Slovakia and the UK.

Makers consider all that goes into the product being made. The creative inspiration, research and development, base material, product assembly, quality assurance, marketing, sales, transport, energy et al.

If Made in England (or UK) is to mean anything, it is in the essence of the making, the cultural influences and traditions coupled with the environmental impact, design, specification and creation of the product.

Applying this reasoning to making products from Identity Vegetable Tanned Leather, we feel that any product made from this leather in England by an honourable, thoughtful maker, can be labelled Made in England (or UK) with pride.

Natural vegetable tanned leather

Natural vegetable tanned leather

Our vegetable leathers are made using various natural tannins, these include myrobolan (Terminalia Chebula), mimosa (Acacia Catechu) and oak bark. Identity natural vegetable leather, which is used for craft dyeing, carving and embossing is made in England, Spain, Italy, South America and the Indian sub-continent. It is a partially processed, sustainable natural material, the appearance of which is changed substantially by the product Maker. It is important we are involved in the design, specification, quality control and making of these leathers.

Dr Peter Laight

Dr. Peter Laight, our leather maker, has over 55 years experience working in leather factories throughout the world.
Article written by Dr Peter Laight – November 2020

Further reading: Make-it-British – Where do you draw the line?

Definition: Sir Gordon Bennet give a good definition bearing in mind there is very little in English law to define this, other than the 1965 Trades Description Act:
1: All goods must be manufactured or assembled within The United Kingdom.
2: All goods must have been significantly changed through a treatment or process within the United Kingdom.
3: Apart from certain cases where the core materials cannot be harvested or made the U.K. Then the majority of materials should come from the U.K.


Leave a comment

Featured Articles

Get your shine on...
Working With Leather Blog

Get your shine on...

  METALLIC PAINTS FROM IDENTITY LEATHERCRAFT..  In this article we take look at the different ways to achieve metallic...
Dec 05, 2023
Dyes - Solvent v Waterbased?
Working With Leather Blog

Dyes - Solvent v Waterbased?

Author: Dr Peter Laight Have you ever wondered about the different types of dyes and pigment stains? Why...
Aug 24, 2023
Unique UK Heritage Leathers
Working With Leather Blog

Unique UK Heritage Leathers

We are pleased to offer a unique collection of UK made heritage leathers. These leathers all come of UK farm...
Aug 15, 2023
Dyeing Leather - Top 10 Tips
Working With Leather Blog

Dyeing Leather - Top 10 Tips

Dyeing leather can seem a daunting task, with the added fear of ruining your leather piece and the...
Aug 10, 2023
Glue Review - Permabond
Working With Leather Blog

Glue Review - Permabond

In this blog we take a little run through our new contact adhesive and combine it with a...
May 20, 2023
Works in progress and the art of procrastination
Working With Leather Blog

Works in progress and the art of procrastination

We are all guilty of it as crafters... if I was to ask you do you have any...
May 13, 2023