A brand built in Leather
Tori Lo was established on the North East coast of England in 2015 by designer Vicky Wade.
“In creating Tori Lo Designs I wanted to cross boundaries within leather work, using fun and creative dying techniques hand colouring every hide to create an individual and unique surface that the bags can then be moulded.”
Each step is done by hand, using traditional techniques, from cutting, dying and finally sewing, only using the finest vegetable tanned cows leather.
Using vibrant colour ways and unique brush strokes, the collection of products bridge a border between classic style and artistic flair.
There is a focus on creating high quality hand made leather goods. Simple and sleek, but most importantly timeless. Quality and endurance that will last years, the true nature of leather only gets better as the years progress, and a patina develops.
Whats in a Name?
The brand name comes from an abbreviated version of the designers name Vic’Tori’a ‘Lo’rraine
Why Vegetable Tanned Leather?
Most of the products made in the studio are vegetable tanned cows leather, sourced within Europe.
Vegetable tanning leather is a traditional process that uses natural tannins such as bark extract, leaves, fruit and roots.
Due to these natural origins, vegetable tanned leather is not considered a risk to the environment and is toxin free, and safe for consumers.
Vegetable tanned leather is known for its long life span, typically vegetable tanned leather produce can be passed down from generation to generation, developing its own unique story along the way.
What is a Patina?
Vegetable tanned leather is known for developing its own unique and beautiful patina, but what is patina?
A patina is essentially the colour that the leather develops over time. When exposed to sunlight & natural oils. This is a beautiful quality that only comes with certain leathers, as the leather ages, it develops its own unique characters, telling stories of the adventures it has been on.
The Process
Each piece in the Tori lo collection is carefully and delicately produced by hand.
The products start their life as an un dyed vegetable tanned leather. These leathers are then hand dyed in a variety of beautiful and unique colour ways, some of the favourite colour combinations can be found within our brush collection, where each and every piece is unique.
Hand stitching offers a strong and durable stitch, to match the quality of the leather. A traditional saddle stitch is used, this uses two needles, creating a interlock in the stitch between the layers of leather. Meaning, the stitch won't unravel like a machines stitch would, giving each and every product quality to last a lifetime.
Leather is finished with a wax to buff the surfaces and edges, to create a soft sheen and finish to the products.