Born and raised in Walsall, the historic centre of the British leather trade, it’s no wonder that Lauren Broxton thinks that leather working is in her blood. “It was inevitable really,” she says. “I grew up here – you can’t walk around the town without seeing a reference to the saddlery trade, be that in public sculptures, the round knives embedded in the wrought iron railings or pictures from old trade catalogues on pub walls.”
The leather designer – who today continues to live and work in Walsall crafting bespoke leather pieces for private clients – credits her surroundings to her success. As a young girl, she would spend her summers at craft workshops in the local Leather Museum, but it wasn’t until she went on to study fashion that she realised she had always been drawn to the raw material. “With the museum being on the doorstep of the college, I could run in there whenever I wanted and access suppliers and hides – so it was always a really accessible material,” she says. “I loved its versatility and sculptural properties more than anything.”
She would later make her entire graduate collection out of saddlery leather offcuts sourced from local companies, admitting it felt like an ode to her hometown. “It’s sad in a way… we don’t grow up proud to be from Walsall anymore,” she says. “I was always trying to escape it – so coming back to leather was almost symbolic of me leaning into my heritage and finding pride in my surroundings again.”
Lauren’s rebellious, subversive designs have seen her showcase her work at London Fashion Week and collaborate with designers like Laura Wildish on stand-out accessories. She also champions developing talent within the leather working industry by teaching at Birmingham City University – but taking up the majority of her headspace recently is campaigning against the closure of her beloved Walsall Leather Museum, which is set to be closed by the local council later this year.
Credit: Connor Walker
“I’ve been leading the campaign for over 14 months – mobilising industry, academia, heritage sectors, parliament and most importantly local communities to try to persuade our local council to halt the proposals,” she says. “It’s so important in terms of heritage and ensuring that leatherwork and craft remain accessible to future generations – particularly in under-represented and low-income towns like Walsall and its communities.”
Many may not know that Birmingham’s lesser-known neighbour, Walsall, has been a global powerhouse in the leather industry since the Middle Ages. It was even once known as the ‘leather capital of the world’, providing high-quality saddles, harnesses and bridlework globally – but by the 19th century, the town pivoted to crafting fine and luxury leather goods. Launer London, the high-end handbag brand associated with the late Queen Elizabeth II, is based in the market town. In fact, much of the leather you’ll find in Walsall has been sourced from the prestigious Rémy Carriat tannery (“a wonderful tannery in France that has living heritage status and is committed to sustainably preserving the environments,” says Lauren).
Credit: Sam Singer
“What I like most about Walsall’s leather industry is just how down to earth it is,” she adds. “We make some of the most beautiful leather goods in the world, but when you meet the craftspeople – they’re humble, they’re down to earth, they’re funny. There’s no room for pretention around here, which you can often be met with in fashion and craft industries. I think there’s a beauty in that and it’s something I miss whenever I’m away from home but ultimately, something that keeps me grounded in my work in this industry.”
Find out more about Lauren’s work at https://www.laurenbroxton.com
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