Suppliers

A Very British Affair

At Black Antler Designs we do our very best to only use the best quality traditionally produced British materials. 

Leather

Our Belts are made from hand finished leather from J & E Sedgwick & Co. Sedgwick was founded in 1900, based in Walsall where they still operate from today.

Sedgwick only use the best quality cattle hides from across the UK for their leather tanning and finishing process. They also ensure that there are no imperfections, no matter how slight; nothing is overlooked by their craftsmen.  As a result it is safe to say that only the most flawless British leather leaves their tannery and finishing shop. This has earned Sedgwick the reputation of being one of the best leather producers not only in the UK but in the world.

Head to their website to learn more www.sedgwickandcoleather.com

Metropolitan Leather Co., based in Northamptonshire, have an incredible range of leathers all tanned and finished to the highest standards. Metropolitan's craftsmen have been supplying leather since 1919. They originally started producing diaphragms for the gas industry. Since then they have had a very interesting history supplying leather for the military, the fashion and equestrian industries, as well as more unusual things such as elephant harnesses, camel racing saddles, hot air balloon basket edging, leather hoods for vintage & classic cars, major film productions and leather for restoration of antique artefacts from stately homes.

To quote them "You name it - and we have probably supplied leather for it."

We use some Metropolitan leathers and suedes for our larger more bespoke products because of the beautiful and consistent finishes on all the vegetable tanned leathers that their skilled craftsmen produce. They have a custom service so if you would like something really unusual I can work with them to supply what you are after.

To learn more about Metropolitan Leather Co. head to www.metropolitanleather.com

 

Hardware 

Almost all the hardware we use at Black Antler Designs comes from Abbey England's foundry, located in Walsall. It is home to a number of extremely skilled craftsmen who cast and finish various products in a variety of metals to the highest standard.

The foundry uses the traditional sand casting process to achieve a high production rate of consistent quality with very little waste. Almost all the sand can be reused and any excess mould metal can be reclaimed for the next heat.

One of the reasons we at Black Antler Designs use Abbey's Foundry as a hardware supplier is the little bit of history that comes with every buckle or 'D'ring; each one has a fragment of the traditional manufacturing processes in it. We would like to remember and remain faithful to the talented and hardworking British craftsman who came before us.

To find out more have look at www.abbeyengland.com

or to see the process in action click here to see a video from the foundry.