Quirky Buttons

Looking for inspirations for your shoes’, bags’, belts’ or corset’s design? Walk out from Black Truffle, the teaching studio of Prescott & Mackay, turn right and go straight down the road to Cleveland Street, and you will see a small shop – Taylors Buttons.

Taylors Buttons - entrance

Maureen Rose runs this business which has over 100 years’ history.  The shop is full of hundreds of boxes of buttons, and is situated within a house that Charles Dickens once lived in.  

Maureen in the shop

 The shop specialises in buttons and buckles, particularly covered ones. According to Maureen, people can send all kinds of materials including leather and fabric to have their buttons or buckles covered with – good idea for P&M’s belt-making students if they want their belt buckles to be in a matching design of the belts.

Buttons in Taylors'

Covered buckle in leather

If Taylors Buttons is hidden in Fitzroy, The Button Queen is easier to spot. Turn right from Cleveland street to Wigmore st., this contemporary button shop is in Marylebone Lane, just one street away from Selfridges.

The Button Queen - entrance

Martyn, the son of the founder Mrs. Kathleen Cythia Frith now runs the shop. They started the business selling antiques, so people can easily find buttons of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s and unusual cuff links, often made from old buttons.

Martyn in the shop

Antique and vintage buttons at The Button Queen

Probably the oldest button in the shop is about the size of a 50p coin, made by carving porcelain under glass within a metal shell.

 

Button from the 18th century

Taylors Buttons: 22 Cleveland Street • London W1T 4JB
11:00am – 4:00pm Monday to Thursday and 3:00pm on Friday

The Button Queen: 76 Marylebone Lane •  London W1U 2PR
10:00am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday , Saturday 10:00am – 3:00pm

Student Success Story: Sarah’s Bag Brand Ruxx

On a belt-making course at Prescott & Mackay I met Sarah Ward-Hendry, who was wearing an eton blue cardigan. I noticed that her watch was also in the same bluish green.  “This is my favourite colour,” Sarah smiled.

Sarah in the Belt Making class

Sarah was obviously not a fresh hand. The way she cuts the leather, punches the holes and burnishes the edge of the belt all shows her experience. When I am still working on my first belt, she has nearly finished her second one.  All this was explained when Sarah later told me that she has her own bag business – Ruxx.

We got together during lunch break and looked at Sarah’s company leaflets. The collections have a very clear selling point: rucksacks, all designed by Sarah. According to Sarah, only the finest leathers are used on her collection and every stitch is done in the UK.

Ruxx: backpacks

Sarah then told me her story. “Before attending P&M, I had started my business and had started sampling but I was struggling on some techniques that I had no knowledge of.  I had not been on a course for bag-making before this but had attended a short course (10 evenings) in shoemaking which helped me understand how to work with leather.”
“Then I found P&M and first attended a bag-making course with Lesley about a year and a half ago to improve some of my techniques. Lesley is so knowledgeable and the experience you gain on a 1 day or 3 day course is fantastic.  The courses cover so much in such a short amount of time but with tutors who have a commercial experience as well as skills-based one.  It has gone from strength to strength and the knowledge I gained from P&M was invaluable.”

Well, I couldn’t agree more. Every tutor at P&M is among the best in their areas, but what makes P&M unique is that students are given the opportunity to be taught by these professional practitioners. Things like how to solve the real problems students will meet in production and the source of suppliers are not taught in universities’ lectures.

Tutor Lesley is demonstrating one of the traditional leatherwork techniques: saddle stitch

So how does Sarah produce her bags? “I have struggled to find manufacturers in this country and when I started to look to find someone to sample my designs I thought it would be quicker and cheaper to buy the equipment and do it myself and that is how I started. I now make all my own samples and some stock but have a small producer I found by chance who does quantity for me.”

Sarah in her studio - in her garden shed

Then why Ruxx? “Ruxx is just a beautiful name that says it all, it relates back to my core product ‘the rucksack’ but I just love the look of the name and I think it represents quality too. It combines clever design with luxurious leathers, making rucksacks desirable not just practical.”

When I asked Sarah why she still came to the belt-making course since she has already got so many skills, she said: “I am now just gaining further knowledge on belts for my accessories section.  I love P&M and will continue to use them for furthering gaps in my knowledge.”

Just when I am writing this blog entry, I received an email from Sarah telling me that her Ruxx bag was on Grazia Daily today. Well done Sarah!

Jessie bag from Ruxx

See more RUXX bags from Sarah:  www.ruxx.co.uk

Belt Making Course

Hi there, I’m Emily and I deal with all the bookings and admin at Prescott & Mackay.  I was really excited last Sunday to go to the belt making course at our studio on Warren St.

I got up really early to brave the cycle across London, in the freezing cold with a slight hangover and a bit worse for wear.  I sorted myself out with a breakfast bagel and got down to work in the studio.

There was four of us on the course and the atmosphere was really relaxed. One lady had done a bag-making course before, and the other two were friends who came to learn the craft. Two of them had thoughts of setting up a business, including making dog collars.

Lesley Taylor was a wonderful tutor and started by giving us an overview of her background and the leather trade in general. I found it really interesting to find out where the best leather on a cowhide came from and all the details of sizing, names and pricing.

We initially chose our buckles; of course I chose the two most unusual ones, which would of made the process quite difficult, so I selected a more simple design for my first belt attempt.

We then cut out the leather, and Lesley paid great attention to the interesting and practical aspects of the craft. We were told how much the tools were, if we were thinking of setting up at home and what we really needed now and what could wait. We chose our leathers and learned how to cut out the strap, using a strap cutter no less. I chose a beautiful purple vegetable tanned leather which was 3mm thick. It doesn’t sound like much, but it gives a really expensive look to the belt and feels amazing .

We then learnt how to use the tools. We had to cut out the end shape of the belt and punch the holes . Big mallets were involved and the room vibrated with our banging. Needless to say, this didn’t do my poor head much good. We learned some tricks for finishing the sides of the leather, creasing and dyeing. This was followed by more hammering as we cut out and riveted the buckles into place. The excitement was buzzing in the air between us. Someone on a sewing machine, others hammering, or trying to see how various designs would work.

Lesley really gave us the impression that this is a skill we could definitely take away and start a business with. I went on my lunch with one belt almost finished, and with exciting plans of becoming a Belt Making Millionaire.

I loved my belt and started to make another one. Another student wanted to make a dog collar, and as it turned out they all had dogs so they decided to make these. Phone calls home followed and I laughed as I imagined children running around trying to catch a dog and measure his collar. The collars turned out beautifully, with techniques such as hand stitching, double layers of leather and cut out shapes.  I can’t wait to see some pictures of the dogs in these. If only they knew the work that had gone into their collars. I made a waist belt in blue for a 1940’s style dress I have. It looks great, and the colour is really gorgeous.

The end of the day was upon us and we all went home very happy. I have worn a homemade belt each day this week, and feel very proud of myself.  So all that is left to say is;

This time next year, we’ll be millionaires.