When leather is a life's work

Ralph's leather products are distinctively his
He travels widely to find the best leather to use
He has mastered every aspect of the making process

Chicago-born Ralph Baggaley came to Europe about four decades ago and has since clocked up more than 30 years of leatherwork experience. In the 1970s he started playing around with cloth and later leather, selling his handmade bags, wallets and belts in markets. After several years at renowned Belgian leather companies Delvaux and S-en-ciel, the talented craftsman finally opened his very own studio, filled with sewing machines, knives, cutters, hole punches, thinning tools and, of course, many kinds of leather, from poisonous Australian frog to Columbian crocodile and python skin.

Ralph Baggaley is an : he began his career in

INTERVIEW

I like leather that has a natural look to it and a good feel. I've been to so many places to find the right leather. Nowadays I know where to go and who sells what. The most expensive is calf leather.

We make bags, belts or wallets, but we also use leather to construct daybeds and to decorate furniture or bedheads. Among our clients are designers including Maarten De Ceulaer, for whom we made a leather collection that attracted quite some attention in Belgium and abroad.

My own creations, where I do everything from design to end product. I've always garnered enormous pleasure from the work I do, and I pride myself on adding that personal touch on our designs. Our unique styling makes Ralph Baggaley products instantly recognisable.

A true craftsperson is a real all-rounder who is able to do every single step of the process himself. But the big companies hire workers who only learn one part of the chain and do that for the rest of their lives. Here, everything has to be your specialty.