Featured Maker // MW Makes
Michelle Wong
MW Makes
Michelle is the fabulous designer maker behind the MW Makes brand, designing and handcrafting leather goods for the everyday. She exclusively works with vegetable tanned leather to create timeless pieces, that can be treasured for years to come.
The vegetable tanning process is a slow artisanal process using tannins present in natural vegetable matter, such as bark, chestnut and mimosa, as opposed to the more commonly seen chrome tanned leather which uses chromium in the tanning process. Michelle’s favourite thing about using vegetable tanned leather is how it changes over time, darkening and developing a charming patina that is unique to its owner. Michelle uses traditional leather working techniques such as saddle stitching and hand burnishing to make her beautiful pieces.
Michelle’s background is in architecture but she has always had a passion for making. After about a year of working in architectural practice, Michelle missed some of the slower creative processes that were involved with studying architecture, for example drawing by hand or making intricate models. In reality, buildings take such a long time to materialise, that often the design process feels quite detached from the craft of making.
This led Michelle to take part in an evening leather craft workshop with traditional saddlery leatherworker, Mia Sabel. This introduction to leather-working taught Michelle the basic techniques to start experimenting with products at home. She initially started making products for herself and friends, before signing up to her first market in 2017.
Michelle still works full time as an architect during the week, but working with leather on the side allows her to explore design and craftsmanship at a (much!) smaller scale, which she really enjoys.
Here, Michelle tells us more about her craft, her techniques and running her own business…
What do you find most enjoyable about running your own creative business?
I love the freedom that having your own creative business comes with, the ability to test ideas and techniques in your own time. I actually also really enjoy being responsible for every aspect of the business - admittedly sometimes this can feel overwhelming, but it’s also incredibly rewarding when something goes right.
Every maker has their favourite tools and techniques. Which are your favourites?
There are some truly satisfying processes involved with leatherwork which I never tire from, such as edge bevelling - this is a process that rounds off the edge of the leather piece, so it can be sanded and burnished, creating a lot of leather spaghetti shavings in the process. I also love saddle stitching because of how slow and deliberate it is. Seeing the stitch come together on a piece is very rewarding. Lastly, burnishing is also one of my favourites - it takes a lot of patience to sand and prepare the edge, but achieving a smooth edge is definitely worth it.
“After the year we’ve had the overwhelming feedback from people was to inject some colour into their lives. I launched my new collection ‘Brighter Days’ ... which embodies that sense of optimism and has resonated with a lot of people.”
Tell us about your latest collection.
My latest collection is The Brighter Days collection; a limited run of 3 new vegetable tanned leathers for Spring/Summer, in Daffodil, Blush and Ocean. This new collection is definitely out of my usual comfort zone and I’m using vibrant colours which I normally shy away from. However, after the year we’ve had, the overwhelming feedback that I got from people is that they were looking to inject some colour into their lives. I launched my new collection at the end of March, at a time when we were turning a corner in the pandemic and finally easing out of lockdown. I think this new collection embodies that sense of optimism, which has resonated with a lot of people.
How has lock down affected you and your business?
I’m lucky that I can do most of my work from my home studio, the corner of my living room as I always have. There have certainly been difficulties with accessing the leather workshop, which I rent from time to time.
One of the biggest challenges has also been going from a mostly physical market based business to an online business. This year has definitely pushed me in terms of talking about my work online and trying to reach new customers through social media. Getting used to being in front of the camera, rather than behind it has been really difficult, but definitely worthwhile.
This year has also given me additional time to reflect on the type of work I wish to pursue in the future, particularly developing new ranges and exciting collaborations with just a few of the many talented makers I’ve met.
MW Makes’ website: mwmakes.co.uk
Follow on Instagram: @mwmakes
