Wolf & Maiden, luxury leather goods or poetry in the skin

Some of us were lucky enough to be handed a grandfather's fine leather briefcase. We still remember him setting it down as he walked in for Sunday lunch. We were curious what was inside. Once or twice we even brushed it with a hand while sneaking a guilty glance at the lively dining room. Today it is on your lap, your fingers tingle at the touch of the initials stamped in the leather, and the memories come back. That kind of luck is getting rarer. We would almost be happy to see our suitcase survive the trip home... And then you meet someone who makes you see things differently. On one of Storie's trips following the people who make things with their hands and hearts, we came across Wade Ross Skinner, a true craftsman in love with beauty and simplicity, who reminded us how important it is to cherish things and pass them on.

Wade Ross Skinner, poet of leather. © Roman Jehanno

Master Skinner is a leather craftsman. You couldn't make it up. He wasn't one a year ago, until he met a French tanner in India, a moment he calls "divine serendipity". Armed with an iron will and a brave heart, he taught himself, once back home, to handle hides and the secrets of luxury leather goods. His incredible creativity and incurable romanticism did the rest. Wade is a whole character, uncompromising, and his thirst for adventure comes straight from his idols, who are everywhere. Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Kerouac, Newton: his creations carry the names of the people who inspired them. He wears the famous motto of the adventurer Jacques Coeur proudly on his arm, so as not to forget it: "To a valiant heart, nothing is impossible."

The tip of the Cape. © Roman Jehanno

Cape Town, South Africa. First, I want to say there is something special that makes the heart of this city beat, a creative energy that runs through it. You find it in the ingenuity of the street artisans and the boldness of the small design studios that pop up everywhere in lively neighborhoods like Woodstock, and you can follow it all the way to the splendor and refinement of the luxury crafts and art galleries on Long Street. Wade is one of the flag bearers of this renaissance. He told me something as we walked down a street teeming with activity that struck me as strikingly simple: "Here in South Africa, there are no jobs. If you want a job, you have to create it yourself." It explains the buzz of activity, which is born of necessity, yes, but gives the paradoxical feeling of a certain opulence.

Inside the Wolf and Maiden workshop. © Roman Jehanno

He invites us into an airy, bright workshop. This is definitely a leatherworker's place. Leather is everywhere, in every form. The smell is rich, almost sweet. It smells of leather, wood, men and coffee. The team is busy. Everyone is at work, desks sit next to workbenches, artisans mix with sales staff, and all the languages and ethnic groups of southern Africa blend in a fertile melting pot. You can't help noticing the proud, knowing look on Wade's face as he watches his teams work. In less than 2 years he has gone from a childhood dream to a workshop of more than 20 people, producing a collection that stands out well beyond the borders of his country. After training himself, he took on an apprentice and made his first pieces with him. Today, that knowledge is taught to newcomers, many of whom find here a job they could not have hoped for in the townships.

Portrait at Wolf and Maiden. © Roman Jehanno

The philosophy behind his work is clear. The simpler it is, the better it lasts, and the more beautiful it becomes. Wolf and Maiden designs accessories from the best materials available, with as few wear points as possible. Wade is convinced that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, that function should dictate form, that quality materials that respect the environment make people happier, and that the Japanese and the Scandinavians know good design.

To carry over the shoulder on any road trip. © Roman Jehanno

Wade is a designer first. He gets that from his father, an engineer. As a kid he learned to take apart and reassemble anything he could get his hands on. That is how he can imagine shapes that look simple but are very complex to design. Don't be mistaken, Wolf & Maiden bags are extremely well designed. He shows us the pattern for "the Abenteuer", a travel bag that would make some people at Louis Vuitton blush. Its unique shape was designed to hold as much as possible without getting in the way of walking, a true future icon of luxury leather goods.

The Abenteuer by Wolf and Maiden, designed not to get in the way of walking. © Roman Jehanno

What is striking is the size of the leather pieces and the small number of seams. He explains that seams weaken with time. So he sews every one by hand in the strongest thread he could find, so each stitch is as tight as possible. After many years the seam will weaken, but it will then be very easy to redo. Another clear example of this philosophy is the "Tsuyoi" wallet (Japanese for strong). It has no seam, no glue and no rivet. This wallet is inspired by an 18th-century origami and is made from a single folded piece.

The Abenteuer by Wolf and Maiden, designed not to get in the way of walking. © Roman Jehanno

The choice of leather is also a factor in durability. Apart from a few products made from kudu leather, the hide of an antelope from this region, which is soft and light, the whole collection is cut from very thick, vegetable-tanned saddle leather, the sturdiest there is, from the only tannery in South Africa that meets European standards. Each accessory is chosen with care and tested for strength. Wade refused to use zippers for a long time, until he found a German supplier who guaranteed rock-solid reliability. Finally, all the hardware is pewter, machined on site (even the rivets) and tested by the designer himself. Wolf & Maiden gives us the chance to cherish a rare piece and pass it on in turn. It is a chance to reconnect with a tradition of quality and heritage that is sorely missing today. It is the story of well-made craft, timeless and simple, built to be sturdy.

The whole Wolf and Maiden team. © Wolf and Maiden

Wade Skinner is a tattooed dreamer who is breathing a little fresh air into luxury leather goods. What does he wish for? That his accessories find enthusiasts ready to welcome them into their lives, the way they would a new companion. Your Wolf and Maiden bag or wallet will travel with you and age by your side. The leather will live, he tells us. It must live! It will get scratched, stained and marked, but this leather will grow more beautiful with time. Its color will change, then find a personality it will always keep. It will become part of your memories, and it is that memory, and perhaps a few funny anecdotes, that it will delight you to pass on. So if, like me, you have wondered what you could leave to your loved ones, Wolf & Maiden may have the start of an answer for you...

Roman Jehanno, photographer

Roman Jehanno is a photographer passionate about people's trades. He chose to discover them through the work itself. After months traveling France and Europe looking for the heart of people at work, he crossed paths with the Storie team. Together, with a shared wish and a certain sense of urgency, we took on the incredible challenge of documenting and sharing the know-how of the world's artisans before it disappears, and with it a part of human history and the passions that drive it. Discover his work at www.romanjehanno.com