Mackenzie Leather

Edition Four Feature
We Interview: Simon Harvey-Potts 
Location: Edinburgh, UK 
Photo Credit: ©Julien Borghino @roseandjulien.ltd 

What is it that you do and how do you do it? 

We make traditional, bespoke items, which are all hand-made in our St Mary’s Street shop in Edinburgh, UK. It has a very small workshop and team. There are only three of us makers in total – Edward, Andrew and me – and no sales assistants. You meet a maker when you come in, so you get the full experience. 

The business itself has been going a long time. It originally started on the west coast and then set up in Victoria Street, Edinburgh, in the late 1980s. I apprenticed with Mackenzie Leather in the very early 2000s and the opportunity later came up to take over and buy the business. 

We make timeless pieces, designs that have been around a long time, but we make them to our quality. Quite a few of the designs are classics. There are satchels and briefcases, cartridge bags and the Gladstone – all quite iconic pieces. We have a particular style, which is really quite clean and simple, and pride ourselves on the finishes and the finer details.

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