Lynne McCrossan: Hides that make the best bags you’ll ever seek

A sea of multi-coloured leather hides lies out across a freshly refurbished shop, draped over brass banisters and table tops.

That sweet smokey scent of Italian leather fills the entire room, infiltrating your nostrils with its pleasing earthy aroma.

As the raw material is stretched out for inspection the finished products pale in significance, which is usually unheard of as the overlooked items are 
Mulberry handbags.

Their new store has opened on Multrees Walk, mixing the ready-to-wear collection with their iconic accessories range for the first time in Scotland.

But the star of the show on opening day wasn’t best-sellers Alexia, Del Ray or Bayswater, but Sheppard.

No, it’s not a new bag, he’s the man who makes the leather treats at their factory in 
Somerset.

Gary is a leather artisan able to create an array of “It” handbags with his own fair fingertips.

He takes us over a bright burnt orange hide pointing out little defects and flaws in the leather. I swear he must have super-human vision, for at first glance the shiny skin appears perfect to an untrained eye.

Then he pops a couple of strips together, gives a twiddle and a twist and, voilà, an Alexia handbag handle sits before us with the ease of a party entertainer producing a balloon animal. That’s Great British talent for you.

Fashion Insider

It’s not often you hear of flash sales from photographers, so here’s a rare treat. Scotland’s cult snapper Brian Sweeney is getting in the Christmas cheer by releasing a limited run of images from his critically acclaimed Stadium of Iceland exhibition for under £100. Merry Christmas.

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