Long before Dead Cowboy London, my obsession with leather began with a handmade school satchel crafted for me by my kiwi Nana when I was four years old. That bag - with its rich patina earned over decades of use - became my ultimate inspiration for timeless design and true craftsmanship.
It was the bag I carried through school, university, and into my early career in London fashion editorial. While working at Vogue, arranging schedules for London Fashion Week, Creative Director Kate Phelan picked up my satchel, buckled the straps, and asked, "Who does this belong to? We should do a feature on this."
That moment confirmed what I already knew: authentic, handcrafted leather holds a soul that mass-market fashion can never replicate, and heritage pieces are always in fashion.
