Get to Know... Wolfram Lohr

Get to Know... Wolfram Lohr

An interview with maker Wolfram Lohr as part of our 'Get to Know...' series.

 

Tell us a little about yourself and your business…

Wolfram Lohr has been crafting leather goods for more than 20 years. His collection includes bags, wallets, belts, accessories and home wares. He takes pride in creating products that are durable and of high quality, using both traditional hand and machine techniques that are designed to withstand the test of time. 95% of the leather he uses is traceable and vegetable-tanned, and he carefully sources all other materials that he uses. His products are meant to gain character and become better with use and time.

 

Where are you based?

Brighton

 

Tell us a secret about you?

I love a mosh pit and go to lots of gigs!

 

How do you make your work?

I handcraft all of my leather goods using a combination of hand tools and machines. I create my own patterns and have custom irons made to stamp out shapes, after which I either hand-sew or machine-sew all the pieces. I use high-quality, vegetable-tanned leather for all of my products.

 

Describe your studio…

My studio is light and airy and incredibly eclectic! I have collections of vintage bags that inspire me. I admit I'm a bit of a hoarder and find it hard to throw out leather scraps and rolls I no longer use, there are shelves devoted to it. I also love plants, so there are many knocking around. I would describe it as organised chaos! 

 

Tell us about your materials - where do you source them from and are they important to you?

Where I source my materials is really important to me. I want quality and sustainability. All my leather is traceable and mostly from Italy. My Oak bark collection comes from Devon in one of the only tanneries left in Britain.

  

Why is it important to you that your work is made as responsibly and sustainably as possible?

I like to make good quality products that will last and, even, gain more character with use and age. It means a lot to me that people love and use their products. I am a small maker and part of the craft or slow fashion scene, buy once, buy well is my motto.

 

How and why did you start your small business?

Many years ago I fell into leather work because I could never find shoes I liked! So I learned to make them with a shoe maker (and dear friend) in Brighton. I then branched out into bags, belts and wallets. 

 

Any fun facts about your business, or achievements you want to shout about?

I love to create things and come up with new ideas, my studio is full of, work in progress, pieces and failed projects, usually something great will come out of something eventually.
I teach courses and one of my greats achievements is bringing people together and working with them to create things!

 

What do you love most about your small business and do you have a favourite piece of work?

I can work for myself and keep my own hours and I can holiday with my family when I want to, I love to be my own boss.

 

What do you think are the benefits of people supporting independent business?

Customers are buying something quite unique and usually of great quality.

 

What are your favourite things about PRIOR - both as a customer and a supplier?

PRIOR is great, it's on the high street yet is full of independent makers. They are also so organised and keep us up to date with all the admin.

 

Tell us about your favourite purchase from a fellow maker. What is it and who made it?

A customised cardigan form G Force, a clothing brand that were big in the 80's and are now back with a bang!

 

Do you have a goal for where you’d love your business to be in the future?

I would like to create plant installations, room dividers and living walls using plants and my plant hanging materials for corporate spaces as well as hotels.

 

 

View Wolfram Lohr's handmade collection at Prior Shop here

 

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