Home > UNDERSTANDING MATERIALS: LEATHER VS VEGAN LEATHER, FITTINGS AND SUSTAINABILITY – Group Class

– PROFESSIONAL DESIGNERS COURSE –

 

UNDERSTANDING MATERIALS: LEATHER VS VEGAN LEATHER, FITTINGS AND SUSTAINABILITY

– Group Class –

One teacher – four students

WERE?

At our studio (map)

WHEN?

THIS COURSE IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

COST

One meeting of approximately 3.5 hours
£80.50

 

LEVEL:

No previous experience required

PROFESSIONAL COURSE FOR DESIGNERS: UNDERSTANDING MATERIALS FOR FASHION ACCESSORIES – WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?

What is the best material for handbags and fashion accessories? For any career in accessory design, understanding materials is essential.
This group class is designed to help accessory and bag designers make informed and far-sighted decisions when choosing the materials for their collection, taking into account performance, costs and sustainability.
You will learn what leather and vegan leather are, their characteristics and the pros and cons from both a practical and sustainability point of view.
You will have the chance to see and feel material samples to understand the different leather finishings and different types of leather alternatives.
We will also show you how the materials perform and how they react to the most common processing techniques for accessory and bag making.
You will explore the small, simple steps to take for creating the foundations for a sustainable business and communicating your commitments to your customers.

 

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

– What leather is and how it is made
– What leather tanning is and how this influences the performance of the leather
– Leather grades and finishings
– What sustainability is
– An overview of the sustainability of leather
– What vegan leather is and what it is made of
– What the most popular types of vegan leather are
– An overview of the sustainability of vegan leather
– Accessory fittings, an overview
– What a small business can do to be (more) sustainable
– What are the major differences in working with leather and vegan leather in the creation of a finished product
– An overview of the differences in manufacturing of leather vs vegan leather
– An understanding of the finishing and construction techniques for leather and vegan leather
– How to identify the best material for handbags and accessories considering performance, cost and sustainability

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

This course is designed for established or aspiring designers and accessory brand owners interested in understanding more about the pros and cons of working with vegan leather and leather in their collections.
The course is created for those who need to have a deeper understanding of the impact that using specific materials and hardware can have in the prototyping and manufacturing processes in order to be able to make the best choice for their business.
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INCLUDED IN THE COURSE:

You will receive the slides of the course and the following handouts: 
– A list of recommended suppliers for leather and fittings (in London and online)
– A list of the most popular vegan leather available on the market

HOW LONG IS THIS TUITION?:

This tuition will require up to 3.5 hours to complete.
We aim to provide customised and high quality tuition services and by only allowing up to 4 students at a time, we are able to focus on each person needs and interests.
As every student has a different level of ability and previous experience, this course might lead some students to complete the core aspects of the lesson in a shorter time frame than others.
Students who complete the course early will be welcome to stay and use the studio facilities to exercise on the topics of the lesson.

UNDERSTANDING MATERIALS – GROUP CLASS

£80.50

THIS COURSE IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TUITION

IMPORTANT TO KNOW

CANCELLATION AND REARRANGEMENT POLICY 

If you wish to cancel your group class, please do so ASAP via email to: learning@thelondonleatherworkshop.com.
Full refunds are only offered if the cancellation is requested no less than eight weeks before the event date.
Cancellations requested between eight and four weeks before the course start date will result in a 50% refund of the course cost on the condition that we have filled your place.
For cancellations requested less than four weeks before the event, unfortunately, we cannot offer any kind of refund and the class cannot be rescheduled.
We reserve the right to cancel a group class when the required minimum enrollment is not met.
If a group class has to be cancelled by us, we will offer the choice of a full refund, credit or the opportunity to book an alternative date (if available). We will provide as much notice as possible.
All communication regarding cancellations and rearrangements of your lesson must be in writing via email.
Please provide all details in your email for us to be able to organise a refund. All refunds must be made to the original payment method used.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Cutting material is usually done standing at a high table and you might be working with special glues, knives and with heavy duty industrial sewing machines.
If you have a breathing problem, any health condition we should be aware of or if any of the above might be difficult for you, please inform us as soon as possible.
You will receive Health and Safety instructions for using the studio and its equipment and you will be asked to sign a risk and liability form at the end of the induction.

ACCESSIBILITY

Sadly, our studio is on the first floor and we do not have wheelchair facilities. We are very sorry, unfortunately, this is not within our control or choice.

 

Wifi is not provided but there is a coffee shop with Wifi nearby.

ON THE DAY

Teas and coffees will be provided by us.
For 3+ hours long sessions we will have a 15 minutes break, for 6+ hours long sessions we will have a half hour lunch break.
There are two coffee shops and free parking spaces on site.

WHAT CAN I DO NEXT?

We run a variety of courses which are related to this topic and that would allow you to expand your knowledge. Please find the complete list of courses HERE.
We also provide the opportunity for people to practise on our sewing machines, tools and studio space.
We reserve a special discount for people who have previously been a student of ours. If you book any of our courses or our drop-in service within 6 months from the completion of a class, you will receive 10% off your next booking.

ABOUT THE TEACHERS

Our names are Sara and Melissa and we are the founders and owners of The London Leather Workshop.
With 20 years of experience in the field, we offer services in designing, prototyping and manufacturing of leather, vegan leather and fabric bags and accessories to national and international customers, from start ups to established brands.
We discovered our passion for teaching while training people during our working careers, both in Italy and in the UK and have been training students for the past 10 years.
Through The London Leather Workshop we teach our expertise, knowledge and skills to amateur leather craftspeople, people who have an interest in developing a career in this field as well as professionals looking to improve their skill-set.
With a personal, friendly and flexible approach we support students in realising a specific project or learning skills in a variety of subjects through both private and group classes.

COVID-19

Despite the end of Covid restrictions in the UK, we ask all our customers to be considerate when attending a meeting or a class at our studio.
Besides the disruption to our services that being impacted by Covid would bring us, some of us are also in the high-risk category with underlining health conditions that make Covid a threat.
The studio is a small and busy environment therefore, as it is very hard to keep social distance during classes, we ask all our customers to take all possible precautions.

COVID SAFETY MEASURES BEFORE AND AFTER EACH CLASS:

– A negative lateral Covid test is no longer a requirement for our students before the lesson.
Nevertheless, we will keep testing daily and we would highly appreciate it if you could test before the class too.
– If you need to cancel your class because you tested positive or are showing symptoms, we will reschedule at the earliest convenience. In order to reschedule your lesson because of Covid, we will need to see proof of the positive test.
We would also appreciate it if you could reschedule your class if you have had contact with someone who has tested positive in the previous week.
– For everyone’s safety, we now require the use of a FF2 face mask covering both mouth and nose at all times, which we can provide on arrival if you don’t have one. If you are exempt we will need to see proof of your exemption, sent to us via email before the lesson. In this case, and in order to avoid others from feeling uncomfortable and maintain safety, it would be appreciated if you could use a face shield instead of a mask. We will provide this too, if you don’t have one.
– Hand sanitiser will be provided and everyone is required to use it on arrival. If you are allergic, you will be requested to wash your hands or to bring your own antibacterial product for your hands.
– Windows will be left open to allow for air circulation, please make sure to be dressed accordingly in winter.
– Food and drinks will need to be consumed outside of the studio.
– Surfaces will be cleaned before and after each lesson.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation in prioritising everyone’s safety in this complex time.