The Studio

Bill Amberg Studio has existed for over 30 years, and today stands as an industry leader in bespoke leather products, interiors and furniture. Bringing together designers and artisans from the worlds of saddlery, case-making, bookbinding and other forms of fine leathercraft, the studio has a mission to explore the aesthetic and material possibilities of leather.

Our work runs the gamut from bags and accessories, through to timeless bespoke furniture and interiors for high-end private residences, commercial projects and cultural institutions around the globe.

Sustainability

 

 

At Bill Amberg Studio, we’re passionate about creating beautiful and functional interiors, furniture and products that will stand the test of time. We’re also proud to hold our practices and those of our partner tanneries and suppliers to the industry’s highest ethical and sustainability standards.

Click the link below for an overview of our position on the ethical and sustainability considerations we feel should be addressed when choosing to work with leather.

Notes on Sustainability

Approach

Craft

Our team come to us from traditional craft disciplines – from case-making to saddlery, and everything in between. Sharing a desire to cross-train and a passion for fine leatherwork, we build on these remarkable skill-sets, repurposing diverse and historic techniques for use in contemporary leatherwork.

Design

Drawing on the idea of designing through making as the principle way of developing an object or product, the workshop is central to our Studio. This approach gives our designers a unique perspective on how to achieve the finest results – whatever the scale, size, scope and budget of a project.

Collaboration

Collaboration is at the heart of our business, from concept and design, through to delivery. Our clients approach us for our modern, considered aesthetic, and trust us to guide them through the making process, to produce innovative work that’s built to last a lifetime.

Bill Amberg

You could say, Bill Amberg was born into leather. Raised in Northampton – the centre of the British shoemaking industry – he was surrounded by the material throughout his childhood. His mother, an architect with a love of crafting, would pick up cobblers’ offcuts and scraps for him to practice on, so he became accustomed to handling knives, awls and needles from a young age.

A commission to create a bespoke leather floor for an architectural practice brought the Bill Amberg Studio formally into being in 1984. In the years that followed, Bill’s work in architecture and interiors grew in parallel with his bag design, eventually becoming the bulk of his business.

The Studio is now a global authority on architectural leatherwork, offering a full cycle of services relating to the integration of leather into interior spaces. Bill is a board member and trustee of Cockpit Arts and the National Leather Collection, an honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers, and has honorary doctorates from UAL and the University of Northampton. He is involved in a host of mentor and social enterprises across the craft sphere.

The Bill Amberg name stands as a badge of quality and craftsmanship around the world. Bill’s iconic ‘Rocket Bag’ is included in the permanent collection of London’s V&A and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

The Team

Clients

Commercial

Cultural Institutions

  • All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC)
  • The British Library
  • Hauser & Wirth
  • The Old Vic Theatre
  • Rebecca Hossack Gallery
  • Royal Academy of Arts (RA)
  • Royal Ascot
  • Serpentine Sackler Gallery
  • Westminster Abbey
  • The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers
  • Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Hotels and Restaurants
  • The Berkeley Hotel
  • Brown's Hotel
  • Caprice Holdings
  • Claridge's Hotel
  • Chucs Restaurants
  • Corinthia Hotels
  • Hotel Café Royal
  • The Dorchester
  • Duck & Waffle
  • Hakkasan
  • The Ivy
  • The Langham
  • Mossiman's
  • Rocco Forte Hotels
  • The Savoy
  • Sushisamba
  • Wagamama
  • The Wolseley
  • Yauatcha

Lifestyle

Residential

  • Adam Hunter Inc.
  • Barry Fox Associates
  • Champalimaud
  • Chester Jones
  • Collett Zarzycki
  • David Collins
  • David Netto
  • Faye Toogood
  • Fran Hickman
  • Gareth Neale
  • Francis Sultana
  • Finchatton
  • Geddes Ulinskas Architects
  • Jean-Louis Deniot
  • Kelly Wearstler
  • Luis LaPlace
  • Martin Kemp Studio
  • Martin Brudnizki Design Studio
  • Matthew Trustam Design
  • Michael S. Smith Inc.
  • Peter Mikic
  • Pinch Design
  • Retrouvius Reclamation and Design
  • Rita Konig
  • Rose Uniacke
  • Seymour Diamond
  • Shalini Misra
  • Studio Ashby
  • Studio Reed
  • Suzy Hoodless
  • Terence Disdale Design
  • Todhunter Earle
  • Veere Grenney Associates
  • Waldo Works
  • William Nickerson
  • Winch Design

“Bill Amberg is one of the most important and exciting people working in British craft today.”

Faye Toogood

“Bill Amberg is the only man to go to for architectural leatherwork.”

Tom Bartlett

“Bill Amberg has always been at the forefront of leather craftsmanship and we are proud to have worked together on numerous projects. His work celebrates the beauty of leather.”

Richard Stevens