Aetolus began with a need, not a business plan.

Based in Edinburgh, the ”Athens of the North”; I work from a small workshop that feels a little like stepping back in time. My tools are traditional, my techniques are time-honoured, and every piece is made by hand, one at a time.

I work with carefully selected full-grain leathers from Italian and UK tanneries, choosing each leather according to the purpose, character and requirements of the piece. I am always transparent about the materials I use, and I take the same care in choosing leather for a client’s project as I would for something I am making for myself.

Aetolus has grown from making my own practical outdoor gear into creating bespoke leather goods for people who want something made specifically for them. Every piece carries the character of the leather, the marks of the hand that made it, and a little of the workshop where it was created.

I don’t have a production line or a team behind me. It’s just me, my tools, and the leather on my workbench.

I still make things in much the same spirit as I did when Aetolus began: slowly, carefully, and with the intention that what I make will be used, appreciated, and perhaps passed on one day.