Those following us on Twitter or Facebook may have noted that much of last week was spent in the workshop. Yesterday was final check and packing of our Spring ’13 collection, some of our classic English Union styles return, and two fantastic new bags to launch, more of that in a week or two.

At the start of the week our focus was the new Cherchbi Small Leather Goods collection. Design development is well under way, expertly handled for us by Sarah Williams. We don’t use the word lightly, Sarah hand makes bespoke leather trunks and cases in extraordinary designs under her own label Williams British Handmade. She is putting her undeniable talent to work on eight of our new designs; a variety of wallets, card holders, pen cases and document cases are all on the bench right now. In the images you can see the Pass Card Wallet, Six Card Wallet, Zip Coin Case and Document Case in various stages of work. It’s possible to just make out the well-worn saddle leather of a Four Card Wallet wear-test sample that’s been used daily since 2009. The incredible patina a testament to our hide selection and the tanning skill of Joseph Clayton. The fact that we wear-test for four years is an indication that we’re serious about this new collection.

Many tweaks and refinements were made to each design and new samples will be reviewed in April at which time they will be presented to selected press. The first few pieces will be available from cherchbi.co.uk this autumn. Please do get in touch if you would like any further information or have any questions.