Introducing the new HADES Despair Bag! The bag is made just 16 miles from our studio in the historic leather-working Quarter of Walsall, England. Here's how it’s done...
First up is Ian - Ian carefully inspects the calfskin, checking the quality and character of the leather before flattening it out ready for cutting.
Each individual piece of the HADES bag has its own specific press knife - a metal cutting plate made to the exact shape of that piece. The knives are carefully laid out side by side across the calfskin and once everything is positioned, the pieces are cut using a hydraulic press, creating the precise pieces needed to construct the bag. The result is almost like a skeleton, using the most of the calf skin which minimises waste.
Afterwards each individual piece is shaved down to the correct thickness, measured to the exact millimetre, and checked to make sure it’s just right.
The front panel is then sent to our printer Jodie. The Despair text is screen printed, first in black and then in cream and after drying the panel is sent back to Walsall to be turned into the final bag.
Back in Walsall Maxine carefully blocks the HADES logo into the back piece of the leather. Using a specially made stamp, she carefully positions the logo and pulls the press down by hand, creating the distinctive HADES imprint in the calfskin.
Then Kerry stitches together the front, bottom and back panels on the sewing machine, with the ends carefully tied by hand. The lining is then sewn into place, along with the inside pocket.
The handles are also carefully positioned and sewn down along the sides of the bag.
Then the bag is given to Tracy who precisely applies glue to the seams, carefully preparing and holding each section in exactly the right position before it is stitched.
There’s quite a bit of back and forth between Tracy and Kerry at this stage, a real collaboration between two highly skilled makers. The side pieces are carefully seamed into place on the machine, bringing all the individual sections together and finally forming the shape of the bag.
Then you have a finished HADES handbag, every bag is shaped by precision, patience and the hands of the team who make it.
Images and video by @petclub.house
