My Story

 

My name is Kingsley and I am the craftsman behind Kingsley Leather.

Like so many others I had an office-bound day job where I spent a lot of my time in front of a computer screen. I wanted a 'manly' craft that would take me away from a computer but also creatively challenge me.

What inspired me to take up leatherworking in particular was that I have always admired leather goods and how they gain character as they age, think old leather suitcases and satchels.  However the cheap mass-produced imports from countries outside of England never seemed to last as long as I expected - I was changing my wallet every 6 months for example! I decided that I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone: create the quality leather goods that I desired for myself and a pursue new non-computer based hobby. 

After a couple of months of practising, my work began to get noticed by friends and family and this led to my first set of 'commissions'.  After creating a leather satchel for my girlfriend, a wallet for my brother, and plenty of belts, I soon decided to begin accepting orders from the wider (and paying!) public. I now run Kingsley Leather full-time and have never looked back - follow me as my journey continues.