Sustainability and Materials

Here at Studio Lowen we consider everything we do with the planet and people in mind. We probably aren't the most sustainable company in the world, in fact we're definitely not but we are always trying to think about things differently and develop our processes to be kinder to the planet whilst also creating beautiful products that make you smile.

Transparency is key, we always try our best to share where in the world our materials come from and always try to source within in the UK using materials made in England where it is possible. It's a fine balance, we always want to support British manufacturing but the reality is that it's much more expensive and some components simply aren't manufactured in this country at the moment. However, by being transparent with our customers you can make an informed decision on your purchase.

Our Real Leathers and Suedes

The real leather and suede collections are sourced from our suppliers in England but the majority of the materials are manufactured in Italy. We have a small, luxury collection of leathers which are tanned at the UK's last remaining traditional Oak Bark Tannery in Devon, these leathers are tanned using hides from cows that lived in Cornwall and Devon so these pieces are our most sustainable, locally sourced products.

British Made Recycled Leather

We love this material, it's made from offcuts and wastage of leather which would otherwise end up in landfill and re-imagined into a brand new, durable material. The recycled leather is made in a unique, sustainable, manufacturing process in a state of the art factory in East England. The finished product is so durable it is mainly used within the transport industry for seating in aeroplanes and buses.

Handpainted pieces

Our hand painted designs are completely unique pieces of art, each one lovingly hand painted by Lisa just for you. These beautiful creations (if I do say so myself!) are painted with a special leather paint which we mix into our favourite colours, no two pieces will ever be the same. These do need a little more care than our unpainted versions, we'd advise against scrubbing the painted design clean as strong abrasion may cause the design to fade as you may expect. If cared for and treasured these pieces will live a long, happy, colourful life! Lisa's mother-in-law is still using one of the first glasses cases (made in 2018) and it still looks great after 4 years.

Earrings

Our earrings are made using offcuts of our leathers and suedes, when we cut out the pattern pieces for our pouches there are often smaller pieces left over and unusable. We save these offcuts use them to create new beautiful products such as our earrings, keyrings and napkin rings.

The hardware on our jewellery is generally gold plated, some pieces are 14K gold plated and some 18K gold plated, there is also the option to upgrade to 925 Sterling Silver on most jewellery pieces. The hardware specifics are listed on the individual product listings.