When Philip Roth wrote about the glove industry he did good research, and anyone keen to learn about gloves, particularly the dress glove business, should definitely read this book. Roth travelled to that most famous American city of gloves – Gloversville – in up state New York and met with senior, experienced glove industry experts […]
Heading to Japan
After a week in Shanghai at the All China Leather Exhibition a trip to the traditional area of Japan (watch this video to see what I am going to be looking for) is quite contrast. Being in Shanghai at this time is to be absolutely at the leading edge of the commercial and technical changes […]
Chinese consumers
At this year’s All China Leather Exhibition in Shanghai anyone checking the traffic on the streets saw fewer black stretched Audi A6s than in the past. This is a good thing. Many in our industry assumed that the extravagant purchasing that included upmarket motor vehicles and fancy luxury goods would continue to accelerate in China […]
Autumn Trade Fairs
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 Sunday in Shanghai It’s Sunday and I’m in Shanghai. It used to be that whenever you went to a leather show you would start meeting people you knew at the departure gate, or later when lounges became common in the airline lounge. But times have changed. Our industry has restructured […]
What is a trade fair for?
POSTED ON APRIL 20, 2011 What is a trade fair for? Meeting alumni is a good start. For those alumni who rushed from Hong Kong to Bologna this has been a hectic few weeks. Some even have added the Portland material show, more of an athletic than a leather one, but important none the less. […]
Corium in Bologna and Princess Anne in Scotland
POSTED ON OCTOBER 6, 2010 An excited industry goes to Bologna The autumn season has rushed up on us as we move from Shanghai to Bologna to see what hide prices will do and continue taking the temperature of the industry to see if a double dip in the world economy. Shanghai was a resounding […]
APLF 2010 was busy
POSTED ON APRIL 13, 2010 APLF was busy this year Between a smaller than usual but very successful Corium Club Dinner and the start of a trip by Mark Wilkinson to Latin America this coming week, things have been busy in the world of the British School of Leather Technology. APLF 2010 was always going […]
Shanghai ACLE, Leather Chemical Consolidation
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2009 From the Terraces This is being written from the Terrace on the 18th floor of Broadway Mansions, a famous Shanghai residence since 1934, and now a modern hotel overlooking the famous Bund. It is actually the best way to see the Bund right now as the road, the riverside walkway […]
To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower
(First published by APLF, Hong Kong, in my Cool Hunting Column) One of the famous characters of the 20th century leather industry was Bert Childs, a hide and skin trader from Liverpool. His wife used to collect sand as she travelled around the world and after staying with them in the early nineteen eighties I […]
Sichuan University and more
POSTED ON MAY 22, 2008 Sichuan and our good friends Over the last year China has frequently been the focus of these columns, and it was only six weeks ago that we were in Chengdu and Deyang. Both are in Sichuan Province at Chengdu is about 50km from the epicentre and Deyang, although a little […]