Daniel van Vuuren

Daniel designs and handcrafts a range of beautifully made, high quality leather products. His timeless creations display the quality of his workmanship gained from working with leather for over 20 years, a journey which began in his home country, South Africa.

His strong ethical business beliefs mean that each leather masterpiece is not only confidently made with attention to detail and quality, but are also made sustainably and available at a fair price. Working under the name Daniel Paul Leather - Spirit of Africa, Daniel currently works from a home based studio in Perth

Aesthetic

After 4 years working as an apprentice for an internationally acclaimed safari outfitter in South Africa, Daniel set up his own business and spent the next 11 years designing and creating his own leather products, as well as sharing his skill and training others in his craft. Daniel specialises in working with vegetable tanned leather, a particularly thick and durable material, and his beautifully handcrafted work embodies the wild spirit of Africa. The strong natural colours combined with visible hand stitching and where appropriate solid brass buckles and clasps, create robust long-lasting products which are both classic and luxurious in style.

Practice

Daniel and his family moved to Scotland in 2020, mid pandemic lockdown, where he decided to build up his leather business once again. He spent the time sourcing the necessary equipment, redeveloping patterns and understanding the market.

Through his experience Daniel has perfected and developed his own way of working with the traditional leather craft methods. He really enjoys the challenge of a custom made design and working with customers to develop their perfect item. Believing that quality cannot be rushed, he’ll work up the design, create a pattern, mark it out on the leather and cut each element before preparing the leather for assembly. The leather may then be punched ready for hand stitching, other finishing methods may include lacing, gluing and sewing in key components like the brass buckles and fasteners. Sometimes a design may be applied using a stamping technique or a personal engraving may be the finishing touch.

In addition to the custom orders, Daniel’s collection of work includes bags, bottle holders, carriers, journal covers, aprons and smaller items including belts, wallets and key rings.