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In Conversation With Ian Clegg of Frank Clegg Leatherworks
Time To Read: 8 Minutes
When it comes to luxury leather, there are a few things you can be sure of with Frank Clegg: Exceptional craftmanship, unparalleled quality and a genuine heritage and history to be proud of.
During a moment of calm in between the firms restored mill workshop in Fall River, Massachusetts, PWVC caught up with Frank’s son Ian to chat about his story: continuing a family legacy of handcrafting the finest leather goods in America.
In Conversation With Ian Clegg of Frank Clegg Leatherworks
Time To Read: 8 Minutes
When it comes to luxury leather, there are a few things you can be sure of with Frank Clegg: Exceptional craftmanship, unparalleled quality and a genuine heritage and history to be proud of.
During a moment of calm in between the firms restored mill workshop in Fall River, Massachusetts, PWVC caught up with Frank’s son Ian to chat about his story: continuing a family legacy of handcrafting the finest leather goods in America.
Ian, can you tell us in your own words why you’ve followed in your father’s footsteps?
My dad Frank, who the company is named after, started the business in 1970, following graduation from college. Originally, he was going to be a bank manager, but my mother gave him a wallet kit at Christmas - not just any wallet kit, but a leather one. He fell in love with the craft and making from then. During college, he was making bags for all his professors and by the time he graduated he decided, ‘you know what, screw this bank stuff. I want to try to make leather goods. I'll give myself a year and if it doesn't work, I can say I tried.’ Well, he did a pretty damn good job and has been doing that ever since.
I’ve always been interested from a very young age but didn’t know I’d be so involved when I was older. The kids at school used to joke: ‘Your dad makes handbags,’ because during that time growing up, he did a lot more women’s designs. I didn’t want to be involved in ladies accessories, but when I matured at 18, I came to my senses and saw this whole other side to it.
The market was a lot different back then, my father was selling through catalogs and had salesmen going around local leather shops across the US which was tough. A friend of his said, ‘you’ve got to get this online’ because that’s where it’s happening and we did! I got into the business with my brother, Andrew. We took the core collection from our archive and relaunched it online. Andrew looked after production, while I built the website, learning everything about the business from accounts and online sales to PR and marketing.
Now, it’s all about preserving the business, having fun and going into work. I’m like a kid in a candy store when we get new machines. You have to understand with our company (and much like yours), there’s real people behind it who are invested and love what they do. Our goal isn't to just produce stuff, sit here, sip champagne and relax. We're in here working our ass off everyday and we're making cool stuff. And then our clients enjoy it - that's what brings us the joy.
How important is it to you to carry on the next generation of the family business, honoring a legacy of craftmanship and style?
The brand just recently celebrated its 50th anniversary during the pandemic. It was a difficult time for a lot of companies but during tough times you pause and rethink, we reinvented ourselves and our mindset. My brother Andrew and I are both younger than 50 so we’re bringing a new approach to everything, while maintaining that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ mentality. It has to be, it’s in our family DNA.
The heritage is extremely important to us because we’re a family, we’re not just a name that has a whole new management team with history behind it. We all have the same vision which is stronger with the three of us. My father is going to be 70 this year, he still comes in and touches every single bag. My brother Andrew manages the production – as part of his job he’ll jump on the cutting machines, building hands on knowledge of construction and what makes a better bag. Then, I’m heavily involved in everything from new concepts, collections and everything on the business side.
So every single bag that leaves the factory, myself, my brother and my dad all touch. It’s incredible. Our goal is to try to keep focused on how to control what we do so we never compromise on quality and have steady growth each year.
What’s your earliest (and fondest) memories of the factory?
My earliest memory of the factory was when it was my daycare. We used to always want to go into the shop. My dad would have a big pallet of boxes and cut open holes in them to make mazes for us. We’d help out by sweeping the floors then when we were 9, we’d go every year in the summer holiday. I learnt how to braid leather, we’d make braided handles and I’d do that all day long. I was getting 25 cents for each one, I could make one in 15 minutes, so the dollars soon added up - I thought I was a rich boy.
If you had to pick one, what is your favourite piece from over the years?
I would say the signature duffle, because although there are a lot of duffle bags on the market, this bag is not any ordinary duffle. There’s no restriction with the zip, it opens seamlessly, and wide enough so you can pack everything in - it looks nice (and classic). It's simple, but it's often the simple things that are difficult to do well.
Can you tell us about making bags for former president Obama?
A man from The White House reached out to us and called saying he’d like to order a bag for the ‘boss man.’ I jokingly had to ask was ‘the boss man’ the President? It turned out it was! At that time, we were waiting on a leather shipment, which I would usually just try to figure out how to get that done asap, it was the President! But Obama ended up waiting four weeks, just like everyone else.
The White House used to send us photos. The President's photographer at the time grew up two towns over from us in New Bedford. It was a funny moment how it all went down, but he carried it around, he’d buy bags for people retiring. They invited us to meet him, but it was so close to the running of Trump vs Clinton, he ended up having to reschedule and it never ended up happening. It’s a great story. So many people still respect him like myself, he’s a great leader.
How did this partnership come about?
James and I have a lot of good chemistry. We originally met at Pitti and went for a drink, he’s great to have a drink with by the way. We spoke on Instagram about getting something going and a conversation happened organically. At the end of the day, I’m a factory guy and he is too. He’s passionate about what he does and I’m passionate about what I do. We decided on a tote bag, the fabrics, the leather, added a few signature PWVC touches like the copper RIRI zippers, mixing your materials to our craft. I truly love this collaboration, it’s more meaningful because I view PVWC as an authentic brand. There’s people behind it that are bringing a product to market that give a s***.
This one is special. It’s easy to throw something together and put an X between the labels but this has more of a story. It’s about two like-minded brands at their own factory, there’s no nonsense or fancy billboards. We live in the same world, we make our own products, we sell our own products, and both share a passion in luxury that isn’t determined by a label. It’s a perfect match.
Ian, can you tell us in your own words why you’ve followed in your father’s footsteps?
My dad Frank, who the company is named after, started the business in 1970, following graduation from college. Originally, he was going to be a bank manager, but my mother gave him a wallet kit at Christmas - not just any wallet kit, but a leather one. He fell in love with the craft and making from then. During college, he was making bags for all his professors and by the time he graduated he decided, ‘you know what, screw this bank stuff. I want to try to make leather goods. I'll give myself a year and if it doesn't work, I can say I tried.’ Well, he did a pretty damn good job and has been doing that ever since.
I’ve always been interested from a very young age but didn’t know I’d be so involved when I was older. The kids at school used to joke: ‘Your dad makes handbags,’ because during that time growing up, he did a lot more women’s designs. I didn’t want to be involved in ladies accessories, but when I matured at 18, I came to my senses and saw this whole other side to it.
The market was a lot different back then, my father was selling through catalogs and had salesmen going around local leather shops across the US which was tough. A friend of his said, ‘you’ve got to get this online’ because that’s where it’s happening and we did! I got into the business with my brother, Andrew. We took the core collection from our archive and relaunched it online. Andrew looked after production, while I built the website, learning everything about the business from accounts and online sales to PR and marketing.
Now, it’s all about preserving the business, having fun and going into work. I’m like a kid in a candy store when we get new machines. You have to understand with our company (and much like yours), there’s real people behind it who are invested and love what they do. Our goal isn't to just produce stuff, sit here, sip champagne and relax. We're in here working our ass off everyday and we're making cool stuff. And then our clients enjoy it - that's what brings us the joy.
How important is it to you to carry on the next generation of the family business, honoring a legacy of craftmanship and style?
The brand just recently celebrated its 50th anniversary during the pandemic. It was a difficult time for a lot of companies but during tough times you pause and rethink, we reinvented ourselves and our mindset. My brother Andrew and I are both younger than 50 so we’re bringing a new approach to everything, while maintaining that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ mentality. It has to be, it’s in our family DNA.
The heritage is extremely important to us because we’re a family, we’re not just a name that has a whole new management team with history behind it. We all have the same vision which is stronger with the three of us. My father is going to be 70 this year, he still comes in and touches every single bag. My brother Andrew manages the production – as part of his job he’ll jump on the cutting machines, building hands on knowledge of construction and what makes a better bag. Then, I’m heavily involved in everything from new concepts, collections and everything on the business side.
So every single bag that leaves the factory, myself, my brother and my dad all touch. It’s incredible. Our goal is to try to keep focused on how to control what we do so we never compromise on quality and have steady growth each year.
What’s your earliest (and fondest) memories of the factory?
My earliest memory of the factory was when it was my daycare. We used to always want to go into the shop. My dad would have a big pallet of boxes and cut open holes in them to make mazes for us. We’d help out by sweeping the floors then when we were 9, we’d go every year in the summer holiday. I learnt how to braid leather, we’d make braided handles and I’d do that all day long. I was getting 25 cents for each one, I could make one in 15 minutes, so the dollars soon added up - I thought I was a rich boy.
If you had to pick one, what is your favourite piece from over the years?
I would say the signature duffle, because although there are a lot of duffle bags on the market, this bag is not any ordinary duffle. There’s no restriction with the zip, it opens seamlessly, and wide enough so you can pack everything in - it looks nice (and classic). It's simple, but it's often the simple things that are difficult to do well.
Can you tell us about making bags for former president Obama?
A man from The White House reached out to us and called saying he’d like to order a bag for the ‘boss man.’ I jokingly had to ask was ‘the boss man’ the President? It turned out it was! At that time, we were waiting on a leather shipment, which I would usually just try to figure out how to get that done asap, it was the President! But Obama ended up waiting four weeks, just like everyone else.
The White House used to send us photos. The President's photographer at the time grew up two towns over from us in New Bedford. It was a funny moment how it all went down, but he carried it around, he’d buy bags for people retiring. They invited us to meet him, but it was so close to the running of Trump vs Clinton, he ended up having to reschedule and it never ended up happening. It’s a great story. So many people still respect him like myself, he’s a great leader.
How did this partnership come about?
James and I have a lot of good chemistry. We originally met at Pitti and went for a drink, he’s great to have a drink with by the way. We spoke on Instagram about getting something going and a conversation happened organically. At the end of the day, I’m a factory guy and he is too. He’s passionate about what he does and I’m passionate about what I do. We decided on a tote bag, the fabrics, the leather, added a few signature PWVC touches like the copper RIRI zippers, mixing your materials to our craft. I truly love this collaboration, it’s more meaningful because I view PVWC as an authentic brand. There’s people behind it that are bringing a product to market that give a s***.
This one is special. It’s easy to throw something together and put an X between the labels but this has more of a story. It’s about two like-minded brands at their own factory, there’s no nonsense or fancy billboards. We live in the same world, we make our own products, we sell our own products, and both share a passion in luxury that isn’t determined by a label. It’s a perfect match.
Tell us about the PWVC x Frank Clegg Tote Bag and what makes it so special?
This is the go anywhere bag, it’s the type of bag a guy has for a lifetime. Tote bags have become a lot more popular recently, especially in the big cities. It’s extremely functional, it’s bulletproof (not literally) but it’s made to last, the handles are comfortable. It’s got a zipper for security, with awesome Swiss RIRI zip added. Inside, we’ve added this sunbrella lining so if you spill anything you’re not going to have any issues - it cleans right up. Where should you use it? It will compliment an outfit if you’re going to work, or you can dress it up or down more casually if you’re with your kids at the weekend.
You have some of the best leather in the world, what differentiates yours from the rest?
We use vegetable tanned leather, with Europe’s most advanced tanneries. I'm not trying to throw the word sustainability around, but they're a pioneer for producing leathers that have a very high standard in the entire process. You can’t compromise on the materials, the process sometimes takes months to complete.
Our leathers right now are carbon neutral. I'm not trying to do this as a sales pitch, but we're offsetting the carbon. They've been able to figure out how much carbon is in each hide and then you buy the offset. Our entire factory runs off natural gas and is self-sustaining.
Back to the leather itself on the collaboration, it’s a veggie tan, it's supposed to age and build character over time. The process is one of the oldest methods known to man, and the most expensive, sometimes taking months to complete. This one is our tumble leather, so it has a little bit more forgiveness and a softer finish. Its patina will age beautifully.
Outside of the leather world, what are your kind of inspirations and hobbies?
When I'm at work, I'm focused on work. When I leave the factory as hard as it is, I try to push as much of that stress away and do things that bring pleasure into my life like boating and fishing. Right now, I'm getting into gardening. I’ve just planted a few beds and backtracking to being a kid, learning about plants. You really do appreciate the smaller things when you get older.
What advice would you give to any budding entrepreneurs?
If you have a gut feeling of something you would like to do, you don't have to go all in at first. You can try to develop that idea, skill or product in your own free time to doing it. And then if you think you can make something happen, then you should go for the dive.
It’s easy to wish but you have to start somewhere. Don't feel bad if you take small steps to get there, because those small steps can help build the foundation, the confidence and then point you into the direction. It’s not the money that makes stuff happen, but really knowing what you’re doing, like my dad does.
Discover more: www.frankcleggleatherworks.com
Tell us about the PWVC x Frank Clegg Tote Bag and what makes it so special?
This is the go anywhere bag, it’s the type of bag a guy has for a lifetime. Tote bags have become a lot more popular recently, especially in the big cities. It’s extremely functional, it’s bulletproof (not literally) but it’s made to last, the handles are comfortable. It’s got a zipper for security, with awesome Swiss RIRI zip added. Inside, we’ve added this sunbrella lining so if you spill anything you’re not going to have any issues - it cleans right up. Where should you use it? It will compliment an outfit if you’re going to work, or you can dress it up or down more casually if you’re with your kids at the weekend.
You have some of the best leather in the world, what differentiates yours from the rest?
We use vegetable tanned leather, with Europe’s most advanced tanneries. I'm not trying to throw the word sustainability around, but they're a pioneer for producing leathers that have a very high standard in the entire process. You can’t compromise on the materials, the process sometimes takes months to complete.
Our leathers right now are carbon neutral. I'm not trying to do this as a sales pitch, but we're offsetting the carbon. They've been able to figure out how much carbon is in each hide and then you buy the offset. Our entire factory runs off natural gas and is self-sustaining.
Back to the leather itself on the collaboration, it’s a veggie tan, it's supposed to age and build character over time. The process is one of the oldest methods known to man, and the most expensive, sometimes taking months to complete. This one is our tumble leather, so it has a little bit more forgiveness and a softer finish. Its patina will age beautifully.
Outside of the leather world, what are your kind of inspirations and hobbies?
When I'm at work, I'm focused on work. When I leave the factory as hard as it is, I try to push as much of that stress away and do things that bring pleasure into my life like boating and fishing. Right now, I'm getting into gardening. I’ve just planted a few beds and backtracking to being a kid, learning about plants. You really do appreciate the smaller things when you get older.
What advice would you give to any budding entrepreneurs?
If you have a gut feeling of something you would like to do, you don't have to go all in at first. You can try to develop that idea, skill or product in your own free time to doing it. And then if you think you can make something happen, then you should go for the dive.
It’s easy to wish but you have to start somewhere. Don't feel bad if you take small steps to get there, because those small steps can help build the foundation, the confidence and then point you into the direction. It’s not the money that makes stuff happen, but really knowing what you’re doing, like my dad does.
Discover more: www.frankcleggleatherworks.com