Leather Artisan

Overview

Join our atelier team as a Luxury Leather Artisan, where heritage craftsmanship meets contemporary design. In this role, you will construct luxury handbags and fine leather accessories from raw material to finished product. You will execute high-precision assembly, manual pattern skiving, structural reinforcement, multi-step edge finishing, and flawless stitching. This position is suited for a detail-driven maker dedicated to micro-tolerances, impeccable aesthetics, and the rigorous standards of high-end leather goods manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Pattern Layout & Material Preparation: Inspect, grade, and hand-cut luxury leathers (box calf, chevre, vegetable-tanned, exotics) respecting stretch, grain, and visual flaws; prepare linings and cut structural interfacings.
• Skiving & Splitting: Calibrate and operate industrial bell skiving machines and manual hand skivers to achieve micro-tapered edges for folding, lining integration, and seam reduction.
• Reinforcement & Stabilizer Integration: Select and bond proper internal reinforcements (Salpa/bonded leather, Texon, Velodon, microfibers, EVA foam) to balance drape, structure, and durability across panels, handles, and bases.
• Adhesive Application: Apply water-based and solvent-based contact adhesives cleanly and evenly with spatulas, brushes, or roll applicators, preventing glue bleed, stiffness, or surface dimpling.
• Assembly & Molding: Perform complex multi-panel alignments, zipper insertions, bag-turning, handle wrapping, and lining drop-ins to exact technical tolerances.
• Edge Finishing: Execute multi-step edge painting cycles, including beveling, sanding, priming, edge coat application, and electric heat smoothing (creasing iron) to achieve a smooth, rounded edge profile.
• Stitching Execution: Execute traditional two-needle saddle stitching using pricking irons and waxed linen thread; set up and operate industrial flat-bed, cylinder-arm, and post-bed sewing machines with balanced tension.
• Hardware Installation: Fit locks, rivets, turnlocks, feet, and custom metalware cleanly without marking or indenting surrounding leather.
• Quality Assurance: Inspect every unit at each milestone for symmetry, stitch regularity, clean seam closure, and zero adhesive contamination.

Qualifications & Technical Skills

• Proven experience in luxury handbag construction, fine leather goods assembly, or bespoke sample making.
• Deep knowledge of structural interfacings, stiffeners, and reinforcement combinations (Salpa, microcellular foams, woven/non-woven stabilizers).
• Mastery of edge finishing workflows, including edge painting, heated creasing (filleteuse), and traditional burnishing.
• Proficiency in both traditional hand saddle stitching and industrial leather machines (cylinder-arm, post-bed).
• Experience with mechanical workshop machinery, specifically bell skivers (e.g., Fortuna) and leather splitting machines.
• Exceptional hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and patience for multi-stage processes requiring millimetric precision.
• Understanding of technical spec sheets, patterns, assembly sequence schematics, and prototype tolerances.

Join us as a Leather Artisan where your craftsmanship will shape exceptional products! We are committed to providing a safe work environment that promotes skill development while valuing your dedication. This paid role offers an inspiring opportunity to grow your expertise in a vibrant manufacturing setting dedicated to quality and creativity.

Pay: $100.00 - $300.00 per day

Work Location: In person