Research

17th October 2025

Changing the leather landscape

Selling unused assets to develop a business makes good sense. But in the late 1970s when Garners bought the Booth Group they promptly sold a redundant Booth site and company playing field. They also closed the tannery which I was running. My hope and expectation had been that this would lead to a new tannery […]

11th October 2018

Robert Sykes 1929- 2018

POSTED ON OCTOBER 11, 2018 Dr Robert Sykes OBE. Defining the Leather Industry of the 20th century In 1994 Robert Sykes, who sadly died on the 5th October aged 89, called me and asked if I would be willing to talk to the International Council of Tanners about “Branding Leather” at their annual meeting in […]

16th January 2018

The progressive leather industry

POSTED ON JANUARY 16, 2018 Waste is a design error Two 40 foot containers are put together to form one module of the new plant I first met Dietrich Tegtmeyer of Lanxess right at the beginning of this century – when Lanxess was still part of Bayer. I was working for ECCO based in Dongen […]

1st July 2016

The importance of good science

POSTED ON JULY 1, 2016 Brexit “democracy needs experts” Given that our Corium Club alumni are all scientists to a greater or lesser degree many who read this will also be reading this week’s editorial in the New Scientist (NS). If not it is worth buying the magazine for. The point it makes is short […]

5th July 2015

A Creative Hub with teaching and learning for leather and fashion, with history attached

POSTED ON JULY 7, 2015 A future to get excited about For those of us who were at APLF and heard the Vice Chancellor’s major statement on the move toF the new Campus the excitement of the potential for leather in Northampton has been growing. While it is easy to get depressed by the last […]

30th April 2014

Water and tanning, Alumni awards, the Wider University dimension.

POSTED ON APRIL 30, 2014 Three items below Condolences to the Family of Akram Zaman It is with sadness we were informed of the passing away of Leather Technology alumnus Akram Zaman on Saturday 19 April 2014. The University of Northampton and the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) would like to recognise not only […]

28th October 2013

Do not let bad science damage the leather industry

POSTED ON OCTOBER 28, 2013 Swallows hibernate in lakes and mud Given that for much of Europe Africa is a fairly recent discovery it is not surprising that the concept of birds migrating thousands of miles in the winter is the result of fairly recent discoveries. In the last few years finding birds in various […]

26th April 2013

The hide will not adapt itself to the leather market

Leather is a synonym for paradox I seem to remember the start of the year beig very much defined by three months of travel to sports and outdoor trade fairs in the US and Europe, coming up for air with APLF in Hong  Kong.  The sports shows have reduced in number and the way tanners […]

28th May 2012

Hemp, describing leather in a materials glossary and Hide to High Street

POSTED ON MAY 28, 2012 two items below Tanning by a distance New terms such as on line and blended learning are becoming increasingly used and with time at a premium in business not all companies are willing to send staff to Northampton for long periods.  A physical presence is of importance in order to […]

30th April 2012

SLTC and the University

POSTED ON APRIL 30, 2012 two posts below The Northampton Leather Hub Delegates awaiting the start of the SLTC conference. From left: Amanda Michel, Stephen Trantum, Ian Michel For the second year in a row the SLTC held their annual conference in Northampton. The one this past weekend was the 115th. I wonder if anyone […]