I have come to Italy for two reasons. One is to visit the Ausonia Tannery in Santa Croce sull’Arno, near Florence.
www.ecofriendlyleathers.com
and the other reason is to take part in Mrs. McGarrigle’s
Culinary Excursion to Italy in Umbria.
www.mustard.ca
I love to cook almost as much as I like to make leather bags.
I have been buying leather from this tannery for about eight years now. But I’ve never been here. I met some of their team at the Pan American leather Fair in Miami.
We have planned to go Friday to see the tannery. We get on the train and ride through a part of Florence and Tuscany that isn’t particularly interesting, rather industrial and flat, run down a bit. We arrive in San Romano. Maurizio, the fellow I have been dealing with at Ausonia, is waiting to greet us and we put our things in his car and we’re off. He’s very pleasant and friendly.
After a 10 minute ride we arrive at the tannery. This tannery is a state of the art complex. It is very beautiful. We have a coffee then Maurizio takes us on a tour and explains the process that the raw leather that they buy from France goes through in this large tannery.
He explains that these leathers are organic products that are easy to dispose of and recycle. His proud team has their own philosophy and their own way of thinking. Ausonia operates in complete respect of the laws governing work, quality and the environment, as certified by the most important international standards.
Everything is done now with computers that control the process. It’s very interesting to see.
Ausonia sells the leather to the top brand names, like Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton for the production of bags briefcase and belt.
The tannery closes down between 12pm and 2pm for lunch. “Would you like meat or fish today?” Maurizio asks. Well, we haven’t had fish yet here in Italy I say. So we’re in the car again heading into the hills and a nice area where we find a lovely restaurant with an outdoor terrace. It’s a beautiful day and we sit on the terrace and encourage Maurizio to order something from the menu that would reflect local taste and flavour. We have white wine and the 3 courses that arrive at our table are exquisite. The first 2 course have different types of pasta and seafood in them. The final course is a very lightly battered selection of shrimp, calamari, squid, and also lightly battered veggies like carrots, zucchini and peppers. It’s so very good. We thank Maurizio for this great taste of Italy.
Back at the tannery Maurizio and I get back to business. I pick out leather I would like to have, it’s all custom made so it will be made and sent later. We discuss shipping options to try to bring down the price.
Maurizio drives us back to the train station. We thank him for the day and he says don’t forget to send the photos.
Great Things Our Clients are Saying!
- May 05, 2010
The messenger bag arrived today! It is absolutely gorgeous!! The color and texture of the leather are superb! Moreover, the design of the bag and quality of the workmanship are so perfectly wonderful. The stitching, trim, pockets, and interior are all everything I wanted, and with MR signature elements as well. How delightful!
As I mentioned, I had been searching bags both here in Fredericton and on the web for well over a month. Once I came upon a reference to your website made by a customer of yours from another part of Canada, I "googled" Rowland Leather, and liked what I saw. After speaking with you, and your gracious reply with photos of possible bags, I knew that I had "struck gold".
This is so unique and most assuredly a lifetime bag, one that I will be able to pass on to one of my daughters with pleasure.
Thanks for being there, for offering such incredibly well-crafted and Canadian-made leather products at a most suitable price for a luxury item.
As well, thanks so very much for your wonderful and certainly helpful service. I will definitely and with pleasure, recommend Rowland Leather to any and all who comment on my new messenger bag as I take it with me to various and sundry places.
Good wishes,
REG
Fredericton, NB
My daughter bought me one of your beautiful leather bags for Christmas - this one was black. I had purchased one in a beautiful, rich, chestnut brown when we were in Merrickville a year ago and so knew the wonderful quality of your work.
Interestingly enough, although I have been using it since Christmas, I just discovered your Rowland Leather enclosure this morning as I was tidying up my bag in readiness for my trip to Vancouver this afternoon.
I want to tell you how impressed I was by, not only the simplicity of your note but also, by the sincerity. Great marketing to get a note with a picture and a signature of the designer/craftsperson! I owned an art gallery at one point in my career and always encouraged artists to put their picture on their cards - it so powerful - it makes such a connection to the buyer.
Just wanted to thank you again for making such wonderful creations! Before too long I will have Rowland bags in every colour!
SL
Huntsville, Ontario
The bags I ordered arrived today. Thanks for helping me with them! I’m already using the Silken bag and love it. I’m sure my daughter will love her bags too, and I’m so glad you got my email in time to add in the small bags.
AL
Columbus, Ohio
Today I received my new brown Michael Backpack. Just as with the three other Rowland bags I own, I am thrilled with this one! Same beautiful quality leather and craftsmanship!
Again, thank you very much!
SD
Gatineau, Québec
I just wanted to thank you for the great repair & speedy turnaround on my briefcase! I came back from my trip and “presto!” – there it was! Also thanks for your generous gift of the leather lotions which I need (although I do love the well-worn look of the case!). In any event, thanks very much again, and I look forward to enjoying some more of your products in the future.
PT
Toronto
Hello Michael
I finally received my custom tan leather briefcase yesterday and it is beautiful. Outstanding quality and craftsmanship.
Thank you for your accommidation and assistance with my special request.
Sincerely,
M.C.
Wisconsin
Dear Michael,
In case Matt has not already informed you, we received the briefcase yesterday. It is really beautiful – a work of art and craftsmanship. Thank you so much. I’m sure Matt will treasure this brief for many years.
I would also like to own one of your briefs, one day. As my budget permits, I hope to order one in the future.
Thanks again, and it has been a pleasure coordinating this with you.
J.L.
California USA
Hi, Michael,
My new knapsack purse arrived the other day and I love it! A beautiful design, just the right size, and exactly what I had in mind. I'm so glad to have discovered you. Another triumph for internet shopping-- I googled 'leather knapsack Canada' and there you were!
Cheers,
D. H.
Thank you, Michael Rowland.
I picked up my mail today, including the pouch. It is perfect! Casual
but elegant, and the two shades of blue go beautifully with all the
different denims in my wardrobe. The small binoculars that I use as
opera glasses nowadays fit easily in it too. I shall enjoy using it,
starting with the first concert of the season on September 9.
LV
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada
"Greetings from Washington State. About five years ago I purchased a zippered briefcase in your Merrickville store. It has held up extremely well and I absolutely love it. Great craftsmanship! I was wondering if you made leather belt holders for the iPhone? I bought one here at the Apple Store and it didn't even last six months before the stitching started unraveling. How pathetic is that. I decided to contact the best so I know it will last. If you don't make cases for the iPhone or Blackberry you may want to consider it. There's a big market for quality accessories. Thanks for your time and excellent workmanship."
Bob
Washington State
"My name is Janet Stubbs and this is a fan letter. For several years now I have been the proud owner of a Rowland backpack. It is my best friend in the bag world and has been admired countless times. I had the good fortune to spot and purchase the black backpack with red straps at the market in Ottawa when I was there visiting a friend. I am now in the market for another Rowland bag, and have enjoyed browsing through the selections on your website before making my choice."
JS
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Birthday Bash
- February 25, 2010
Akin to Michael Rowland’s Aquarian nature his birthday celebration was an original and inventive affair.
A surprise party, hosted by Claire Smith, was held at Mrs. McGarrigle’s in Merrickville. Owner, Janet Campbell cooked a fabulous meal while Lori Hisson, Michael’s sister from London, Ontario regaled guests with tales and photos of her brother’s illustrious life.
The grand finale was a scrumptious chocolate cake made by Kate Green in the shape of one of Michael’s backpacks.
http://kategreencakes.com/rowlandleatherbackpackcakelink.htm
Definitely a joyous and memorable event!
See Michael as a guest on A Channel The Morning Show
- January 29, 2010
Rowland Leather celebrates 30 years of continuous creativity!
- January 12, 2010
You can say, and we do, that we've come a long way. Not unlike many other well-established, successful businesses, we come from rather humble beginnings.
You might call our first hand-made products rather rustic: hand tooled belts, watch bands, hair clips, clunky, hand-laced purses, el gaucho type hats.
We've gone from touring the craft show circuit to having two well-established retail shops. Now our elegant bags stand tall among the world's finest and are sought after by an appreciative clientele from both near and far.
We're committed to making a fine quality product. As the times change we continually strive to refine that, ever seeking the right balance between function and flair. There's never any standing still for long.
We're always on the lookout for new leathers, colours and interesting and innovative products. You are all welcome to come and see why we're still going strong after all these years.
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN, SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009
- June 29, 2009
FIVE GREAT PLACES
to shop for Canadian items
Michael Rowland makes and sells fine leather bags and accessories in his Kemptville studio.
BY CHRIS BALICKI
1. ROWLAND LEATHER
1095 Bank St., 613-526-1954
159 St. Lawrence St., Merrickville, 613-269-3151
103 Clothier St. E., Kemptville, 613-258-7763
rowlandleather.com
Why it's great: Celebrating his 35th anniversary as an award-winning leather artisan, Michael Rowland uses his experience, keen eye for detail, and the finest materials to fashion quality, timeless leather bags and accessories.
Canadian content: In his Kemptville studio, Rowland makes his bags- including handbags, totes, backpacks, briefcases and travel bags - as well as other leather goods such as water bottle holders, mouse pads and pencil and eyeglass cases. The studio also carries items by other Canadian leather workers.
Prices: Handbags start at $75.
Mousepads and eyeglass cases are $16.
Tip: The lining is typically the first part of a handbag to wear out. Rowland enhances the life of his bags by incorporating long-lasting leather linings into his designs.
Citizen Article - The Lure of Leather
- February 26, 2009
By Julia Elliott
Take a Coach purse and a Michael Rowland bag. Strip the labels. Then get a friend to say which one is which. It might take a while.
Rowland bags favour the same classic lines and lush leather as the best bags on the market. My 20-something Rowland bag is perfectly intact. It was time to find out why.
I met Rowland in his new workshop in Kemptville. At 50, he is completing a six-month renovation of a lovely mid-18th century stone building in the centre of town. The new spot has room on the ground floor for a sizeable work area and a second retail store. His first in Merrickville opened in 1989.
"I had been in a workshop just outside Merrickville that was too small". The artisan sighs, as if 30 years in the same business has had a few trials. Amid rows of leather hides hanging from the ceiling, Rowland fashions a variety of leather goods briefcases, knapsacks, pillows and large satchels, among others. In the 1980s, he outfitted John Candy, the late comedian, with one of his briefcases an especially big one, recalls Rowland, with typically soft-spoken reserve.
Leather, he says, has a mystique all its own. Texture, drape, flexibility, durability and even the scent make it an amazingly versatile medium. Creating objects out of leather is a cerebral thing for Rowland, who gets inspiration from magazines and new trends in European leather goods.
I can almost create everything up here, he says, pointing to his head. Close my eyes, turn it around and just look at it, and then, once I see it, I can take it apart and see it all here. Then I can make it. That's how I learned: trial and error, trying new things.
Even today, when I do a bag that I've done a few times before, each time I make it I add something to it. I blend different types of leather together, different colours, textures, to make it new.
Rowland points to the leather centre in one of his pillows. The rectangular pebbled surface is surrounded by ultra smooth leather. I like adding a little lemon to your fish, he says of the contrasting centerpiece.
Like anyone who wants to keep doing what they know and like, Rowland pays attention to his journey. During the mid 1970s, when the craft industry was attracting a lot of artistic types, Rowland, who grew up in Windsor, Ontario, had a store on Elgin Street in Ottawa. He sold his leather bags and belts and other artists' crafts. He also sold his wares on the craft show circuit, displaying the stamped and hand-tooled leather look that was trendy then.
Whatever Rowland did, he did without a mentor. More or less, I had to forge the way. There weren't any expert leather workers back then that you could learn from. It was an ancient trade that had been lost, almost.
Although Rowland is an accomplished artisan now, he says in the early years he had to learn how to channel his creativity into dollars. I started having a family early, I have four children now to support so the longer I was at it, the more I needed. And the more I needed, I got creative.
Ultimately working with leather was much more rewarding than his studies in chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo. He quit after a few months.
I wanted to make things instead, he says. I bought a piece of leather to repair something and, once I felt it, I just started making little things out of it and selling them to friends.
Today, Rowland's career is on track. His business partner, Claudette Rowland, runs the Kemptville and Merrickville retail shops.
I'm really good at making bags now, he says. I make them quickly and I
know what to make.
Canadian Designer Celebrates Canadian Women
- February 26, 2009
When Ottawa designer Michael Rowland read that k.d lang was releasing a new CD celebrating Canadian songwriters he decided to honour her by creating something in her name.
"I was sitting in a bistro trying to think of a name for a new tote I had just designed,"said Rowland from his Kemptville studio. At the same time I was reading in the newspaper about k.d. lang's new CD. I thought about how gifted she is and what she's contributed to Canadian music, so I decided to name the new handbag after her. Then I started to think of other successful Canadian women and decided to name a line of designs after them."
Rowland has named 12 of his fall designs after notable Canadian women. Many are singers he listens to while working, but some he's chosen for their contribution to Canadian culture.
"Canadians aren't very good at saying 'damn, I'm good. I think it's about time we started saying that. We have such great and talented women here in Canada, let's celebrate them! And I'm doing that with what I know best - my designs."
In addition to lang, Rowland is lauding women like singers Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Nelly Furtado, Alannis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan. But he's also included athletes like hockey gold medallist Hailey Wickenheiser, speed skater Catriona LeMay Doan, and rower Silken Laumann. Supermodel Linda Evangalista has been at the top of the fashion world now for years.
He also wants to celebrate the Canadian Opera scene by naming a bag after the saprano Shannon Mercer. " I love the way she sings Rossini."
A successful leather handbag designer for over 20 years, Rowland has a lot of time to consider women. Not only because he has ten female staff in his Kemptville and Merrickville stores, but also because he likes to contemplate the women who buy his designs. He thinks about their lives, their wardrobe, about what they need in a bag that will become an integral part of their lifestyle.
"I think about what a woman needs to take with her to get through a day, but I also think about the way the bag moves against her body. I want my designs to work hard, but also to complement a woman."
And, like every artist, Rowland knows his designs take on another life once they leave his shop.
"I like the idea that a woman will use my bag to create her own look and that what I create will become her constant companion and will contribute to her evolving identity."
Why Shop Locally
- January 08, 2009
Why Support Locally Owned Businesses?
Local Character and Prosperity in an increasingly homogenized world,
communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage.
Community Well-Being
Locally owned businesses build strong communities by sustaining vibrant town centers, linking neighbors in a web of economic and social relationships, and contributing to local causes.
Local Decision-Making
Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions.
Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy
Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community.
Job and Wages
Locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains do.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship fuels Canada's economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class.
Public Benefits and Costs
Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services relative to big box stores and strip shopping malls.
Environmental Sustainability
Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers-which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
Competition
A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.
Product Diversity
A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
Tour of Rowland Leather Studio
- June 03, 2005
You can find our design studio in the historic stone building, built in 1847, in the heart of Kemptville. We have recently been honored to be presented with the North Grenville Historical Society's 2004 Heritage Award of merit for "preservation of an architecturally and historically important structure in the municipality of North Grenville."
We invite you or your group to tour our studio and this beautiful building. You can see how we make our great bags. Call or email now for details.
103 Clothier St. E., Kemptville 258-7763
