Sunday, November 18, 2007

Ian Head, a.k.a. the "London Tanner"

Much before Ian Head took up skydiving and ended up becoming a pro at it here in Spain, and way prior to his career as a manager of public houses from Zephyrhills ("Odyssee") to Amsterdam ("Hard Rock Café"), he was a craftsman working with leather. He even had his own book published on the topic (Blanford Press, 1979).

In Ian's own words:
My first wife wanted a handbag and I couldn't afford it, so I thought, “Well, I’ll buy some leather and make one.” She was a dancer -- a proper dancer. Some of the women that she worked with saw her handbag and started asking: “Can your husband make me this? Can he make me that?”

As I became more involved, I decided I really wanted to learn more about it, so I took a saddlery course. You can see the saddlery influence in my implements. I use saddlery- and harness-grade leather, the best I can possibly find, and the actual construction is basically the same as I would use to construct a saddle, a harness or a tack.

Well, Ian has returned to his original line of work. And the "London Tanner" is very successful at it. Check it out (if you're older than 21):

Never mind the Christmas sales, Ian! Just whip on over for the party!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sorry I will not be there, I have to help santa with which girls have been naughty or nice ~Ian
(improving behaviour one girl at a time)