New London Belts - a journey behind the scenes
This latest run of London Belts has been a long time coming and for good reason. Angus has gone to great lengths to source a special, natural cork filler for the belts (which provides the sophisticated ridge in the middle of the belt). We have also changed the design of the belt slightly, so that it is now lined with the same leather on the inside as we use on the top side.
The leather that we use for our London Belts is a vege-tanned leather from the UK. It is extremely dense, and hand 'curried' and polished with select waxes for an extra protective finish.
It's hard to articulate just how much work goes into each of these London Belts. We start with the hides, hand-selected for their weight and density, which we cut into pieces for the top of the belt.
These top pieces are then moulded by hand over a cut-to-size piece of natural cork filler to create the moulded ridge on the belt.
We use the belly section of the hide to cut into larger pieces for the lining. We glue the lining to the cork and top piece, roll it, and trim.
It's then onto the sewing machine where Emma does a neat perimeter stitch.
As a next step, Jimmy does a secondary trim to ensure the bottom layer matches perfectly with the top.
Emma then cleans the edges of the belt by hand, rubbing them with water and the flesh side of a piece of leather off-cut.
One of the most important processes is the edging. We use a special hand-edging tool. This removes the square edge, creating a more rounded and bevelled edge.
Like all our products, the belt is then slicked with a special formula of slick, on a buffing wheel, to give the edge an extra polished finish and to ensure that the edges are silky smooth.
The beauty of these belts is absolutely in every part of their make up; from the inside, all the way the out.
Our new London Belts are made with our upmost attention to detail; with care and an unwavering commitment to creating something that will look and feel beautiful for many years to come.
They are available now in two colours Cognac (with a solid brass buckle) and Dark Brown (with a stainless steel buckle). $325