Skin Deep - Leather Workshops in Hong Kong

First published in Elysiants on 15 December 2011.

Like I said before, this city has any the courses under the sun to offer, and it just depends on whether you have the time and patience for them all. You might say, why bother making it yourself when there are so many places in Hong Kong that offers custom made leather goods, like Cocomojo or Kei Poon? But then if you are thinking of an anniversary or birthday gift, there is no better way to show how much you care than making it with your own bare hands. So here are several places where they will teach you the basics on how to make your one-of-a-kind leather bags, belts or even iPhone cases:


Fungus Workshop

Fungus Workshop runs an extremely busy workshop schedule. Conveniently located in Soho, their courses fills up rather quickly, so be sure to apply well in advance. You will be signing up to a month of weekly classes, and there will be around eight students per class, making different things depending on what each student is interested in. If you are really keen on leather work, you can buy a set of tools from them and work on your pieces at home as well. They also have ready made products from Hoi Ming and Cowrice on sale at their workshop, so be sure to browse through it before or after class.

Smellers Production / Hidden Gem

Smellers Production and Hidden Gem are actually managed by the same people. Their studio, situated in Tsuen Wan West, offers both regularly ran workshops as well as private classes. In their regular workshops, a group of around six students will gather at a predetermined time to make a designated product; whereas in their private classes, up to three students will be in the studio for a one-off workshop, making something that the students are particularly interested in. Go to their Facebook for further details.

Ah Moon DIY Leather Workshop

Ah Moon, with their workshop established in Central, offers one-off taster classes, leather drawing workshops, as well as private courses. They are the only workshop I have seen that offers materials other than calfskin, so if that appeals to you, check their Facebook for further details.