Well Used – a leather collection for the daily tool

Volume I-B.

A September study.

WELL USED is a small leather collection about tools that earn their keep. Wood and leather age along the same lines: both take the marks of a working day and wear them well. Every design here begins at the workbench.

First, we borrowed the woodworker's proudest joint. Three dovetails lock a black board into a white one, and on either side stands the old order to HOLD FAST – which is also the one thing anyone asks of a luggage tag.

Black-and-white die artwork of a three-tail dovetail joint between the words HOLD FAST for the Well Used leather collection.

Pressed lengthwise along the tag, it looks genuinely beautiful.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-debossed lengthwise with a dovetail joint and HOLD FAST.

A dark-espresso leather luggage tag blind-debossed lengthwise with a dovetail joint and HOLD FAST.

A pale sea-blue leather luggage tag blind-debossed lengthwise with a dovetail joint and HOLD FAST.

Next, the cook's spoon. Years of stirring wear the bowl to a slant, so we drew the worn spoon solid and kept its original curve as a bare outline – the white sliver between the two is what the kitchen took. BETTER WITH USE says the rest.

Black-and-white die artwork of a well-worn cook's spoon beside BETTER WITH USE for the Well Used leather collection.

Keychains carry it well – a key ring is the most handled object anyone owns.

A chestnut-brown leather keychain blind-debossed with a worn cook's spoon and BETTER WITH USE.

A golden-russet leather keychain blind-debossed with a worn cook's spoon and BETTER WITH USE.

The same spoon presides over the golden-tan catchall tray, where the day's pocket cargo lands.

A golden-russet leather catchall tray blind-debossed with a worn cook's spoon and BETTER WITH USE.

And finally, the knot. When a board keeps its knot, the grain bends around it and carries on – the scrap decides how it wants to be worked. THE GRAIN DECIDES went onto the journals, where the working-around happens on paper.

Black-and-white die artwork of five wood-grain lines flowing around a knot above THE GRAIN DECIDES for the Well Used leather collection.

A caramel leather journal blind-debossed with wood grain flowing around a knot and THE GRAIN DECIDES.

A warm gray leather journal blind-debossed with wood grain flowing around a knot and THE GRAIN DECIDES.

On the toiletry bags it sits quietly in the corner – honeyed russet over deep espresso.

Indian-Summer and dark-espresso leather toiletry bags blind-debossed with wood grain flowing around a knot and THE GRAIN DECIDES.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.