Artisanal Spotlight

What about your surroundings in Cornwall inspires you most?

It’s not so much Cornwall itself, more a sense of home and wellbeing. You can’t help but feel healthier down here which I guess just affects your mental wellbeing too. You haven’t got to destress and I think that means that when you’re working on anything it’s a joy rather than a chore. There’s a load of like minded people trying to set up businesses or who already have established art related start ups which is really encouraging too. 

Does your location directly influence your work?ie palette, materials, what people like to buy

I don’t think my location does affect my work weirdly although there’s an understated cool down here that I hope to appeal to in what I make so actually maybe it does a little bit. I want to produce things that people can trust will last, are desirable but also do what they want them to do without being overly flashy, appealing to all ages. 

What is the ethos behind your brand?

My ethos is about an exploration of functional objects that don’t alter the leather too much. Vegetable tanned leather is flawless when you open it up and I like to make things that end up enhancing it’s buttery texture and make the most of its strength. I like to think that my product range will grow as I do as well and that the more I sell the more I can allow myself to be more experimental with fixtures and fittings. 

What materials are you working with at the moment?

I predominantly use vegetable tanned leather in black. I find the colour and the matt texture so pleasing and it’s always a joy to see how it ages. I do incorporate suede into my work as well as cotton blend linings and I want to experiment with cordura for a tote further down the line. Cordura is another strong fabric that is water resistant but also offers a beautiful black on black double texture alongside the leather and it’s more affordable too which opens doors up to creating fairy priced larger pieces. 

Where do you like to spend your down time in Cornwall?

My stomping ground is around St. Agnes/Porthtowan and my favourite place to be is tucked up at my boyfriend’s house in St. Agnes. From there you can head out with a cup of tea in the evening and walk around the coast to Trevellas watching the sun go down. If the tide’s right and the waves aren’t too scary you can swim around there and dive off some fun rocks and have a bbq on the cliffs. I can’t work out what’s better than that! I have to admit though, I love getting my tourist hat on and visiting different places regularly - a great thing to do is park up at Lelant and walk onto Porthkidney beach and along the (long!) coastal path to St. Ives, eat a Hub box burger and head back. There’s nothing better than appreciating why people come on holiday down here and remembering why you moved back!

What is your recommended best eat in Cornwall?

Oh my god there’s so many depending on where I am! In Truro there’s Hub Box which I think really does rival some of London’s best burgers. Falmouth has the best pizza place called Brother’s on the moor - definitely eat the oregano and salami pizza. In Newquay there’s a sneaky little place called The Garden next to a beautiful lake and rose garden that does really nice healthy nibbles and platters and in Padstow, Paul Ainsworth’s No 6 ticks all the boxes.. I’m sure there are plenty more I’ve forgotten! Does Smokey Joe’s trucker stop cafe count for the best hangover breakfasts?

Is there anything coming up in Cornwall that we need to know about? i.e. an event, exhibition or open studio

There’s some cool stuff happening at HOWL in Penryn soon, they’re really good at combining lovely coffee with some great gigs and music sharing events without being poncy and pretentious! My must do things this Autumn are booking in with Dena at Kiwi Print Studio’s for a day of screen printing and then an afternoon with Lou Ord  flower crown making… just in time for The Halloween Masked Ball!