The Klès Process

Klès was founded by me – designer maker Jessica Gomez. So every product you buy is designed and hand-crafted by me in my Bristol studio.

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I carefully choose all of my materials to make your products durable and sustainable. Sourcing them from small UK suppliers wherever possible, to support local businesses and ensure a transparent supply chain.

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And because everything by Klès is crafted by hand, you can be sure it’s created with care, quality and personality.

Leather Accessories

Klès leather accessories are handmade from chemical-free leather, using traditional techniques.

They're made in small batches, or to order, to avoid overproduction and waste. And to reduce our waste even more, offcuts from the larger products are used to make smaller accessories like jewellery and keyrings.

Materials

All leather accessories are made from Italian and Belgian vegetable-tanned cow leather, and solid brass fittings.

Vegetable tanning is a centuries-old technique that uses natural tanning ingredients like tree bark and leaves. It’s a slow and skilled craft, taking about six weeks to produce. By comparison, synthetically chrome-tanned leather, which accounts for 90% of leather in use, is produced in just a day.
Only the highest-quality skins are used in vegetable tanning, because the leather is only treated with a translucent dye that shows its natural grain.

When properly cared for, vegetable tanned leather lasts a lifetime (and beyond!). It’s much more durable than chrome leather and ages beautifully – developing its own patina over time, and making every piece truly unique.

Construction

Most bags are made from a single piece of leather, with the shape constructed solely through folds in the material. The folds are held together by hidden rivets and minimal stitching, to create the clean and distinctive Klès style.

When stitches are used, they are hand-sewn. This gives much more strength and durability than machine production, so you can keep using your bag year after year after year.

Patina

Over time, our natural leathers will change, responding to their environment. A beautiful patina will develop every time you use your item. The leather will slowly soften and darken from the buildup of oils from your skin, drops of water, sunlight and repeated friction.

This process can't be avoided – and it should be welcomed! It’s a sign of quality and it makes each piece unique and shaped to you.

Sustainability

Kles products are only made from cow leather that’s a by-product of the meat and dairy industry. No animals are killed solely for their skin.

Vegetable tanned leather is more environmentally friendly than other types, as it’s extra durable and made without harmful chemicals.

Acrylic Jewellery

Our Limited Edition acrylic jewellery, including statement earrings and necklaces, is laser-cut and assembled by hand locally, in Bristol.

The off-cuts from the production of this special collection will be recycled into new products, reducing waste while creating limited edition pieces.