MacKenzie Leather Blog

Belts light scaled Find your Mackenzie Belt: Made to Measure, Made to Last

Find your Mackenzie Belt: Made to Measure, Made to Last

MacKenzie Leather Belts A wide range of styles and always cut to the same exacting standards of quality and craftsmanship. Find your perfect fit with this month’s product introduction - our collection of handmade Belts. Here at Mackenzie Leather Edinburgh, we’re somewhat renowned for our handmade belts. We use our knowledge and handmade skill to help find and fit your perfect belt, to you. And it’s one of the (many) reasons we cannot wait to open our shop doors to in-person customers...

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IMGL scaled Q&A: Our Workshop

Q&A: Our Workshop

The MacKenzie Leather Workshop As we anticipate the return of high street retail, we reflect on the importance of our in-store Workshop. We speak to the men behind Mackenzie, our skilled craftsmen, about what it means to operate a modern day brand from our rare and distinctive establishment. Hope is on the horizon for many this month, with plans to re-open coming into play. Customer relations continues to be one of our core values, so to see these many months pass without...

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Blog banner February feels Festive: Celebrate Chinese New Year with Mackenzie

February feels Festive: Celebrate Chinese New Year with Mackenzie

Chinese New Year with MacKenzie Leather February is a big month of festivities. And here at Mackenzie, we know the importance of celebration at this time. We're offering a special treat to perk up this Wintery month, transforming the daily blues into fiery, vibrant Red - join us as we celebrate both St Valentine and the Chinese New Year during a colourful month of cheer. In October 2020 we welcomed our newest member to the Mackenzie team, our Chinese Social Media Ambassador,...

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Whats inside scaled How we make handmade Mackenzie Leather goods?

How we make handmade Mackenzie Leather goods?

What is inside a MacKenzie Bag? Take a look inside our contemporary Mackenzie collection from the comfort of your home thanks to our special insider film series. Hosted by our very own Master Craftsman, Inside Mackenzie is coming soon... The dawn of a New Year has always been a chance to seek out fresh ideas that rise on a clear horizon. And this year more than most, we're all after a glimpse of brighter skies and hope for a more prosperous year...

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Women's leather purses in Italian soft hide, handmade by Mackenzie Leather Edinburgh.

Be Merry with Mackenzie

Handmade Leather Christmas Gift Ideas It's the most wonderful time of the year. And what better way to celebrate the end of a memorable one than by bringing a bit of festive cheer to those we love. We have a treat in-store (literally) for those of you who made it on the nice list. Not one, but two brand new Mackenzie designs, available before Christmas exclusively in our Edinburgh showroom...   The Ladies Purse   Our craftsmen have been slowly perfecting our purse design for...

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MacKenzie and Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers scaled History of: The Sporran

History of: The Sporran

The Leather Sporran "bare-legged, with shaggy cloaks and a small bag." This romantically rough (but likely accurate) description of a twelfth-century Highland warrior would be incomplete without mention of that 'small bag'. From 'scrip' evolved the Gaelic word Sporran, meaning purse. It's long been considered an essential accompaniment to Highlandwear dress and even today, no Scotsman would don his Kilt without this trusted pouch. So how did it come about? Here's our brief history of the well-known hanging accessory, and how to...

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Mackenzie studio scaled Introducing: The British Collection

Introducing: The British Collection

The British Collection The wait is over for our new range of exquisite leathergoods - and this time we're staying close to home. Say a warm Autumnal welcome to The British Collection... It's rare for traditional trades like ours to be au fait with launching new collections. Unlike many of our mainstream counterparts who compete each week to meet the new and ever-increasing demand for fast fashion, we like to slow things down. Our goods are the product of hours on hours...

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MacKenzie Leather Edinburgh store

Mackenzie’s Untold Story

MacKenzie Leather - Our Story When Simon Harvey-Potts graduated from a degree in film and photography, he decided, like most students who find themselves on the edge of the real world, to travel. And as the cliche of discovery would suggest, he did return with a new, enduring passion. Just how much did he find? No one could have anticipated the chance career path that would one day lead to a thriving, time-honoured business. One thing we're sure to tell our customers...

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MacKenzie Leather workshop

Mackenzie on Film: Behind the Hide

MacKenzie Leather on Film The Edinburgh Festival is on hold this year, but in our Old Town workshop we've seen lights, camera, action! This August we bring you our on-screen contribution to the most creative month of the year with a new backstage series from Mackenzie on Film... Leathercraft is a industry that can often lie quietly under the modern day radar. If you're reading this blog, then chances are you have a closer understanding than most - but do you know...

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MacKenzie Leather Edinburgh - we are open

Come on in: We’re Open!

MacKenzie Leather - We're Open As lockdown eases across Scotland, our showroom doors are re-opening to the public. With a few new ways to experience retail in-store, find us in the heart of Old Town, continuing our traditional trade in these historic times.   Summer is off to a great start (by 2020 standards) as we were finally able to reopen our showroom doors to the public on Monday! There may be no Fringe this year, but the strength and spirit of our...

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Master Craftsman, Simon, in the Mackenzie Leather Edinburgh traditional workshop

Mackenzie on Film: How to care for your leather bag

How To Care For Your Leather Bag The doors to our showroom remain closed on lockdown, but the season of spring cleaning is here.  In the first of our new film series, we bring you a Mackenzie insight from our workshop to your home. So grab a cloth - it's time to look after your leather! It's a lockdown law. The natural urge to act on the annual Spring clean has been amplified by this year's stay at home restrictions, forcing many...

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Gladstonette, leather shoulder & handbag, a classic British design in Italian soft hide festival orange leather, handmade by Mackenzie Leather Edinburgh.

May the month bloom: Spring is here!

Spring Is Here   "The world's favourite season is the spring.  All things seem possible in May.” -  Edwin Way Teale   Over the recent weeks our attention as a nation has been firmly fixed on the developing Coronavirus situation, both here and across the globe. As the anxiety and concern surrounding such a widespread pandemic has been consuming us all, the dawn of a new month and the arrival of a fresh season begins to sail in a ship of hope to many of us...

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COVID-19: How to support Mackenzie Leather.

How To Support MacKenzie Leather As one of the many independent and non-essential businesses with closed shopfront doors, our future is uncertain. Read our top 3 ideas on how you can safely support us, and other brands like ours, during this unsettling time. What a difference a month makes. From the expected joys of Mothering Sunday in our March blog, to the fear of facing a global pandemic in April. With our first concern being the health of our loved ones, our...

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Leather Shoulder Cartridge bag in Italian saddle hide green colour, handmade by Mackenzie Leather Edinburgh.

Guide: A Mackenzie Mother’s Day

Mother's Day Guide March is the month for Mother’s, celebrating the wonderful women in our lives with breakfast in bed and a blooming bouquet of daffodils. If you’ve been thinking of treating the mum in your life to something extra special this year - we’ve got you covered with our inspirational pick of the best Mother’s Day bunch from Mackenzie. In a similar fashion to shoes, bags are often poorly associated with female consumer stereotypes. Hoarded and hidden, the handbag can...

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Waterproof travel bag in canvas & leather forest green, handmade by Mackenzie Leather Edinburgh.

History of: The Gladstone

History Of The Gladstone Bag It’s an icon. A bag full of character and crafted by our talented team year on year. But where did the design come from? And how did it become so popular? This month we take a look at the History of: (our most beloved) Gladstone. The Leather Gladstone and it’s compact companion, The Gladstonette, have been firm favourites of the Mackenzie collection since we established our trade back in 1990. Sometimes known as a Doctor’s or Physician...

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