Lucy is a designer and artisan of contemporary luxury handbags, based in London, England.
She has specialised in leather handbag design and production since 2012.
Her work is a blend of traditional hand-tooling, and modern shape-making, to create pieces of timeless simplicity.
Find our curated collection of Lucy Welton's handcrafted bags here.
Each bag is hand-crafted within her London studio.
Lucy formally established her own brand in 2022, as an answer to the increase in demand for English heritage craft, and low-impact production.
The mission is to make gorgeous products, locally, and consciously.
Her products are produced by hand, from the finest vegetable-tanned leather and organic cottons.
Each hide is chosen by Lucy for its high quality, and unique markings. They are then, treated with natural oils and finishes, to increase longevity.
Where are you based?
My studio is in Deptford, South East London. I am part of the Cockpit Arts community.
Do you have a morning routine / daily ritual before arriving to your studio?
I can’t start my day without a cup of tea, and then I take my dog for a walk around Blyth hill, she is an Olympic dawdler.
What does a typical day at your studio look like?
I will usually put the radio on, and just go into a complete trance of making whatever it is that I’m working on.
How did your brand / company begin?
I say that my brand formally began in 2022/23, after a lot of product development. But to myself, I say that my brand began in 2020, when I moved back to Cambridge from London.
I had been in a really high-pressure design job right up until the start of the pandemic, and had been balancing that, as well as living in an unhealthy relationship, for a good few years. so I’d completely ended-up losing-touch of who I was….not to mention losing this whole side of me, who was an artisan/maker.. I think this can happen a lot as a woman within the industry.
It’s rare for a woman to be trained in the way that I am, and even rarer for a woman to maintain these skills amongst the other demands that we face in life. I’m often asked about why I make bags instead of babies! But I will just say…that once you have a side of you taken-away, in the manner that I did…or for whatever reason really…it's literally a glorious feeling to reclaim it, and that’s why I will always make time to make bags, even if I have ten kids!
Anyway, I ended-up filling my car with all of my belongings and leaving a space in the front for my cat Tina, and we just drove back to Cambridge, where I reset my life. When I got home, I was met by my parents, and my grandfather who was in the advanced stages of dementia. And as my parents were still working (during the pandemic) my new job
was to sit with my grandad for most of the day, to make him tea.
I would listen to him talking all day…sometimes in his head, he was a little boy back in the fens, or he was a younger man calling his wife’s name…but occasionally he would fall back into lucidity. That’s when he would ask me about my bag making. (He would always do this, as he took the keenest interest in my making. He bought me my first industrial leather sewing machine in 2014.)
That’s when we would talk about the joys of making things. He taught me in those sessions, that whatever you make, make sure to do your best. That’s around the time when I found my old tech file from uni in my bedroom, and my brand basically formed from that point.
Tina was rather happy too…
How would you describe your company ethos?
My brand ethos is really simple. The mission is to make gorgeous products, locally, and consciously.
Where do your materials come from?
I use a lot of leather scraps that are available from our shared leather workshop. I like to mix-up colours to make unique combinations, so a lot of my bags are unique from each other. The rest of my leather is from Tanneries across Europe, mainly Italy and Belgium.
How long does each piece take to make?
A single bag can take about a day to make.
Did you study design anywhere or are you self taught / naturally fall into this work?
I Studied design at Cordwainers College, London College of Fashion. It’s a small off-shoot of the university, that specialises in footwear and accessory design and making. That’s where I learnt to make leather handbags in the traditional way. I learnt more folk-craft leather techniques of the hand-tooling variety, on-the-job after graduating, so my style of work is really a merging of classic luxury and craft.
How does your design process work from idea to finished product?
I sketch my bags when I have a big idea for a new bag construction. But I also have a bad habit of free-styling the make of some bags, with no pre-sampling.
What do you listen to or watch while you work?
I listen to podcasts and radio 4…heaven.
Who inspires you?
I grew-up in central Cambridge, not too far from Kettles Yard, and I have been familiar of certain artists within their permanent collection my whole life, such as Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. I’m also inspired a lot by interior designers, who are able to create a mood within a whole space. I wish my bags could do that!
I’m mainly inspired by the other artists within my studio.
How do you overcome creative lulls?
I try not to overthink anything anymore. If I don’t feel creative, then I don’t design any new bags. It’s really as simple as that. There is no point in being hard on yourself for not feeling creative. We are too hard on ourselves in general. It’s normal to have lulls, it just means that a different side of you in speaking. Just indulge that, and your creativity will come back when you have something to say.
What is your favourite material to work with and why?
I actually love working with linen, because it’s such a beautiful material. Obviously leather as well.
Do you have other projects in the pipeline?
I am working on some new bag shapes for later this year. I used to make a style of satchel that I would also like to revisit.
What dream would you still like to fulfil?
To learn Italian…and probably move to Italy.
What does a typical weekend look like?
I will walk my dog Margie, and then go to the studio to work on some bags. Then I will go for a swim, and hopefully out for dinner!
Do you have any tips you'd like to share with other artists?
Learn to block-off ‘noise’ from negative people regarding your work and general direction. Develop a technique that you love to use, so it becomes indicative of you, and instinctive to you. That way you can develop a body of work that is recognisable, and that you feel is a part of you.
Find our curated collection of Lucy Welton's handcrafted bags here.
