Discover Bond & Knight naturally tanned handmade leather goods made – and personalised – in England.

Bond & Knight are independent British leather designers specialising in handmade, bespoke leather goods. Every wallet we produce is completely individual – from the highest grade, naturally tanned Italian leathers we source, to the up and coming new artists we work with – everything about our wallets is unique, and when our best isn’t good enough, we let you become the designer and help you craft something truly individual with our Online ‘Design your own’ service.

Vintage Style Meets Modern Day Durability

Bond & Knight wallets are made using a vintage 1940’s inspired design, and use a single piece of folded leather, with no stitching and no seams. Every hide that we use is handpicked and we source only the highest grade, naturally tanned leather, distinguishable by the beautiful natural grain. This combination of design and our uncompromising commitment to quality means our wallets are unique, super soft, ultra-slim, and yet super strong.

Why naturally Tanned leather?

We are passionate about only using carefully selected naturally tanned leather to make our products.

The main two options in the leather world are chrome tanned leather and naturally tanned leather. There are some middle grounds and other derivatives but these are the two main groups. Chrome tanned leather use a whole host of nasty chemicals and chrome salts to tan and add colour. These chemicals are harmful, most are carcinogenic and as a lot of these leathers are made abroad in countries will little enforcement they often end up in the natural  environment after production. Sadly chrome tanned leather accounts for about 80% of the fashion industry. Why? Because it is quick, relatively inexpensive to do and gives a uniform clean finish on the leather.

Naturally tanned leather uses organic materials such as bark, leaves and other items to tan and colour the leather. This means no adverse impact on the environment as all materials are organic and naturally harvested. The process therefore is considerably longer and more expensive than chrome tanned. The end result means the natural grain of the leather is visible, along with any natural imperfections – such as growth lines and scars etc. But this is precisely why vegetable tanned leather is the best in my opinion. It is these imperfections and growth lines which gives the leather character and appreciation of its origin.

Where The Folded Wallet Came From

As we like all things vintage but with a modern twist, we redesigned a vintage origami wallet design. The concept comes from WWII when traditional manufacturing was redirected for the war efforts. As a result, stitching leather goods was not a priority and the means to do so were not available, so many people would make wallets out of folded leather and sell them to allied forces personnel to earn extra money for their family. We even had a customer tell us how his grandfather did exactly this, and how he gave him one as a child, for which it is ever remembered. Generally they weren’t the most attractive wallets as they were quite bulky and crudely cut, but that doesn’t matter, they were full of soul and character and seemingly lasted for years upon years. We tried to preserve the origami folded design whilst giving it a modern twist.

Artists

We’ve teamed up with a unique collection of well known and up-and-coming artists to offer vintage pin-up leather designs and printed wallets that you won’t find on the high street. We have a great collection of designs for you to choose from and we’re constantly adding to our collection.

The British Standard

As a British company Bond & Knight are committed to supporting British businesses, and in particular up and coming artists. We are always looking for new talent to collaborate with and we look forward to launching an exciting new scheme to get young artists involved at Bond & Knight very soon.

Bespoke Design Service

At Bond & Knight each and every wallet we produce is handmade and completely individual, so why not get involved and design yourself or a loved one a unique piece by using our online ‘Design your own’ Service. We can create designs that show off your artwork; use your photography; or even use your company logo – and what better gift for a loved one then using their favourite image and turning an everyday functional accessory into a totally personal and unique gift.

Shop with us online

Browse our collection of handmade naturally tanned journals, notebooks, wallets, key rings and cufflinks here >>

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