Pre-introduction
Before the introduction proper, the following are examples of original bespoke luxury products I myself have crafted and turned into reality for my clients:
If you like what I do, please follow and share my IG with your friends! Thank you in advance!
Introduction
I assume you have landed on my page about leather services and craft shops because the subject matter has pigued your interest recently and you are reading up on it.
My list compiles a broad spectrum of leather related brands and services available in Singapore which will provide insights into what the leather industry entails, and from which you can explore further. Please enjoy!
First off, what is real leather?
The following are examples of FAKE leather. You can see the peeling and cracking which are clear signs of plastic, PU or PVC.
Swipe left and right
There are many ways to understand real leather, or full grain leather (the technical term). Leather is essentially animal skin. Can you imagine cow skin peeling or cracking as in the photos above? It has to have been terribly sun burnt! Also, we humans are in serious trouble if human skin deteriorates this easily.
How about premium leather bags that cost in excess of $20,000? If real leather easily peels and cracks, there can be no justification for these price tags. $300.00 perhaps. Maybe $500.00. But definitely not $20,000 and above. The fact of the matter is that such bags exist and there are reasons for these prices.
Maybe you don’t know fashion. How about military boots? We can’t really imagine our soldiers running around in peeling boots can we? Especially after the mental imagery of them polishing boots till they can see their teeth.
Real leather stretches without cracking and peeling
Truth is, most of us have ever come across real leather products, and at reasonable prices too. It is just that we have never really made that mental connection. If there are no problems, we will not stop for a second thought I guess. Well yeah, if something does last, you might like to appreciate it a little bit more.
Last but not least, just because a product bears the name of a world renowned brand, it does not necessarily imply “real leather”, nor “genuine leather”, nor the actual technical name “full grain leather”.
There is no better way to explain real leather than to explain it in conjunction with beloved brands that unfortunately offer much less than their promises. Let us take a look again:
In short, there are a lot, and I mean really a lot of people who think that because something is branded, it must be real leather. It is not.
Since I opened with a series of photos of belts, let me introduce Aquila:
1. AQUILA full grain leather apparels
1.1 Aquila full grain leather belts
No frills, no fluff is their philosophy.
Simply good ole full grain leather belts at less than one-third the price of branded belts which may not even be made of real leather!
And do check out their belt strap replacement service.
Admit it. Some of you folks out there wear the priciest and the most branded belts because your colleagues pooled money to get you one on your birthday.
Perhaps, your spouse bought it for you only to have you give them a dressing down because of its price.
Then comes the time to replace the belt because of the fake leather nature of the original belt, as evidenced by the photos above, yet you can’t bear to part with your money to buy an original branded strap, which is likely to be the same fake leather, if the boutique even offers that service in the first place.
It is understandable and thank goodness you stopped right there.
I recommend AQUILA for all belt strap replacement requirements. They are the true belt professionals. One can even call them belt tailors if you will.
Did I mention that local tailors in Singapore also carry full grain leather belts made by Aquila?
1.2 Aquila hand made full leather shoes
Aquila shoes aren’t the cheapest in town, neither are they the most expensive. However, if a gentleman is looking for a comfortable work horse pair of leather business shoes, ie durable and easy to maintain with a brush and kiwi, do look Aquila up.
As per their business philosophy, Aquila shoes are made entirely out of full grain leather. No frills and no fluff, and at a decent price.
2. BROADWAY LEATHER COMPANY
The second company I introduce to you is Broadway Leather Company. It is not the average craftsman / leather service. They have a factory populated with full scale industrial machines, not merely home use tools.
And they open these services to the public for a small fee. That’s the important point.
Get started today on your small business or personal project with them.
2.1 Custom brass makers’ marks
Customise a brass stamp bearing your business brand or even a personal logo.
The leather industry is increasingly becoming more exciting with ever more people making their own wallets and bags etc. right in their homes. Top it off with your personal brand! Heck you can even buy it for a good friend or your loved one whom you know is into the whole leathery stuff!
Do check out Broadway Leather Co.. Go straight to their leather workshop and factory right here in Singapore.
2.2 Custom small metal logos
This is an example of a personal logo DW. Designed for a client, Broadway Leather then had it made in solid brass and the studs were plated in three different colours.
2.3 Leather scraps by weight, partial leather panels and wholesale leather
Thinking of making your own watch straps? Check out below what 1 kilogram of leather can get you! 4-6 pairs of watch straps no problems with some more leather all rolled up outside the frame!
How about full sheets for your most ambitious project like a duffel bag?
But it is quite a hassle.
Don’t want to start entirely from scratch but would still like to have some fun and satisfaction by hand making your personal leather accessory? Fast forward to my 3rd recommendation, Hocks – Alcis, right after this.
Hint: kits with the leather shapes all cut out and with pre-punched holes. All you gotta do is sew!
For now, back to Broadway Leather Co..
2.4 Custom steel rule cutting die punches
For the super duper serious leather crafter to whom “hand made” is no longer acceptable. You need precision, you need complex templates and you need sophistication. You are perhaps a shoe maker?
Swipe left and right
Broadway Leather custom bends steel-rule knives into cutting dies for customers, the most complex of which are shoe upper and shoe sole patterns, as well as bag templates etc.
2.5 Leather splitting service
Broadway Leather Company also provides leather splitting services to carpenters and upholsterers, as well as diy hobbyists and professional leather craftsmen.
Components of a wallet split thinner for a customer.
Leather split extremely thin for wrapping buttons of a chesterfield sofa for a sofa contractor.
3. Hocks-Alcis handmade
3.1 Diy craft kits with pre punched holes
Hocks-Alcis sells a range of diy kits in which the leather components of wallets et al. and their corresponding stitching holes are pre punched. In addition, needles, thread and instructions are provided.
The one and only thing you got to do is hand stitch.
Swipe left and right
Finished products are often expensive due to expensive labour costs involved. However, partially finished items like these, stopped short of the hand stitching, brings the retail price down drastically.
It makes for excellent personal and corporate gifts that can come with brands embossed on them or personalisation to a giftee’s name.
One doesn’t need to travel down to a leather workshop either, for courses which frankly, teaches you basic skills that we have all more or less learnt in arts and craft or home economics lessons in school and at home at some point in our lives.
leather craft activity for elderly at home
3.2 Commissioned hand made products
Looking for a personalised gift to a loved one or to yourself? Hocks-Alcis also accepts projects such as customised wallets, lanywards and even bags.
I shall skip those however as those are but basic services.
Hocks-Alcis is able to customise leather bag charms with all their miniscule intricate details for you. Just send in your painstakingly designed charm to them and they will walk you through the process of turning your digital idea into a long lasting physical personal item or gift.
An example of two approximately 10cm x 10cm leather bag charms handcrafted from vegetable tanned leather and hand dyed with the respective colours.
Look Hocks-Alcis up to customise your leather bag charms today.
4. Exotic leather
In partnership with Hocks – Alcis, I design and customise exotic leather products for my clients, such as crocodile skin and ostrich wallets, belts, pouches and the likes.
My preferred method of personalisation for my esteemed clients are metal brass initials or metal personal logos, for an entirely different tier of luxury. Please dm me in my IG or whatsapp +65 96637673 to enquire.
5. Punching bag leather stuffing
Broadway Leather Company upcycles every last fibre of leather in her factory by shredding them into small chips for filling punching bags.
Punching bags cannot be filled entirely with sand or sawdust due to the load. Therefore, customers first use the lighter but firm leather fillings to form the backbone of the punching bag before filling the remaining empty spaces with finer material.
6. Upholstery and renovation sub contractor services
6.1 Leather cabinet and drawer pulls for interior designers
Add a touch of timeless class to your wardrobe and drawers.
6.2 Leather wholesale for upholstery and wall panels
6.3 Furniture upholstery services
Keching 