Introducing SFW Hub: Hastings
Introducing our Hub in Hastings, MAKU!
Dedicated to making useful, beautiful things out of discards from the leather industry, based at The Depo, Hastings. MAKU was established in 2021 by a small team of like-minded people who love working with natural materials and believe in ‘making use, not waste’.
Guided by 5 main principles, MAKU aims to:
make use of what leather industry mass production discards
make use of our own production offcuts
use what we find, as we find it – wherever possible,
nothing is further dyed or treatedsustain and/or revive traditional methods of processing and making
encourage others to create less waste through small,
positive behaviour changes
As with fast-fashion, the leather sector creates a great deal of waste. A natural product such as sheepskin is a non-standard material and many of its attributes (such as wool sheen, density, suppleness or tonal irregularity) can vary from one piece to the next. But the usefulness and beauty of such leather and sheepskin is not diminished, it’s just what makes each piece naturally unique. There are a huge number of reasons this unique nature can cause wastage: cancelled orders, design alterations, changes in colour trends to name a few.
Founder and director Suzan Aral explains the design process:
“From our HQ on the Sussex coast, we create simple, flexible designs that can be adapted to a broad range of materials – from offcuts to seconds, metallic to patent leather finishes. Working closely with small ateliers, our designs are then handmade in Istanbul, where we also source our materials from Turkey’s large, international leather sector.
Wherever possible we prioritise the use of sheepskin offcuts ahead of seconds and surplus stock. We continue to develop all-natural products such as our sheepskin throws and cushion covers. Our PATIQ slipper model is also made using only sheepskin, leather and traditionally hand-made wool felt.”