AVELLAN
LEATHER GOODS • ENGLAND
An independent leather-goods house in the making.
Founded in Devon in August 2026. Learning the craft, developing original pieces, and documenting every stage.
From the Workbench · October 2026
Patterns cut in card, tested at full scale.
Proportion, balance, and how a shape sits against the body.
Cutting, stitching, making mistakes and beginning again.
AVELLAN is being built at the workbench, one piece at a time.
I — The Beginning
The beginning
AVELLAN was begun by Verity Davies in Devon in August 2026. There is no archive behind the name and no inherited workshop — only a bench, a small set of tools, and the decision to learn careful hand leatherwork properly.
The work so far is patient and practical: cutting patterns in card, practising saddle stitching on offcuts, studying how leather behaves when it is cut, folded and finished, and taking older pieces apart to understand how they were made.
Nothing is for sale. This site records the beginning, honestly, as it happens.
II — Atelier Journal
Atelier journal
A working record of the bench rather than a gallery: leather as it arrives, tools as they wear in, sketches that go nowhere, restoration studies and stitching that is slowly getting straighter. Photographs from the workshop will be added here as the work progresses.
Bag form studies
AI-generated illustration · generic forms, not AVELLAN designs
Restoration study
An old bag, taken apart to learn
Stitching practice
Saddle stitch, on offcuts
Experiments
Edge finishing and burnishing trials
Entries are written as the work happens. Original workshop photographs; illustrative studies are labelled.
III — Philosophy
Our philosophy
- Patience
- Learning in the right order, and letting each stage take the time it needs.
- Practice
- Stitch by stitch, piece by piece. Skill is earned at the bench, not claimed.
- Useful forms
- Objects shaped by everyday use — things worth carrying, keeping and repairing.
- Thoughtful materials
- Leather and hardware chosen with care, and described truthfully.
IV — In Development
In development
Research in progress, shown as it is: open questions rather than finished answers. Nothing here is a product, and none of it may survive the drawing stage.
01
Hand-stitching practice
Saddle stitch on offcuts, refining spacing, tension and consistency.
02
Small leather goods
Learning pieces — keyrings, cardholders and a valet tray — made to practise construction and edges.
03
Vintage bag study
An older bag examined closely to understand how its construction was approached.
04
Journal-cover experiments
Trials in folding, structure and finish for a simple leather journal cover.
05
Sketches
Original bag and hardware drawings, still on paper and still changing.
06
Design studies
Ellie, Hallie, Tabitha and AVELLAN Daily are working design studies — not finished pieces, and not available.
V — THE AVELLAN JOURNAL
Follow the making of AVELLAN from the beginning.
Join for occasional letters from the workshop — materials, prototypes, discoveries and first notice when our earliest pieces become available. Follow the journey as it happens.
By joining, you agree to receive occasional emails from AVELLAN. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Notice.