Is it possible to get a job in leatherwork with the skill I have?

[Sandgel]

I will move to NYC soon (September 2016). Honestly, I have no network in this field and I'm looking for an opportunity to work in leatherwork. My skills are built from self taught and some short term courses so I don't have any certificate. I have great passion in leather bag making and I'm willing to learn. I would appreciate it if you could provide some useful suggestions. 

Skill:
- Saddle stitch
- Chrome-tanned leather edge finishing (by sanding and painting)
- Leather bag making
- Handbag design & pattern making (manually but I can transfer the pattern into AI file) 
- Sewing machine operating (I made fabric bags for 4 years and I used walking foot sewing machine to sew canvas. I prefer hand-stitch to machine stitch when it comes to leather.)

My work samples:
I'm not allowed to upload files more than 1.4mb so please refer to http://imgur.com/a/Sg7UO for my work samples' details.

Thank you.

Eric

[Wizcrafts]

Your work looks flawless. You should either pursue a solo career, or find a partner to work with, preferably one who already has various sewing machines and possibly a clicker press. You could sell your purses on Etsy, as do other small volume custom item makers. A well optimized website to promote and sell your leather goods is a must have, once you get going. But, one step at a time.

[Sandgel]

15 minutes ago, Wizcrafts said:

Your work looks flawless. You should either pursue a solo career, or find a partner to work with, preferably one who already has various sewing machines and possibly a clicker press. You could sell your purses on Etsy, as do other small volume custom item makers. A well optimized website to promote and sell your leather goods is a must have, once you get going. But, one step at a time.

 

I am flattered, there are still a lot of things I need to learn and it could be better. Thanks for your suggestion.  

[RockyAussie]

Your already there Eric. Not sure about your padlock cover on imgur. Some dabblers there will be happy to work with you and I doubt I can offer much advice other than be confident.

[Sandgel]

14 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

Your already there Eric. Not sure about your padlock cover on imgur. Some dabblers there will be happy to work with you and I doubt I can offer much advice other than be confident.

 

Thank you. 

[ConradPark]

Like any job, it's about contacts, will power and some luck. It also depends about what you actually want to do! Most larger fashion houses for example, have their own 'school' or education program, or run a intern ship program. And how to get into that is of course very individual. For example, here in the UK Mulberry run a internship program for their leather workers. 2 years minimum. And application is through the local job center. Hermes have a similar 2 year training program for some of their leather artisans, however you have to pay serious money, speak fluent French, have a fashion degree background and there is still no guarantee that you will get a job... The smaller leather studios are more likely to be a certain word of mouth kind of thing, however I have seen some leather workshops here in London sometimes put up a sign in the window about staff wanted - even for leather workers. On this forum, I have sometimes seen saddle makers announce that they are looking for intern, also on FB and Instagram, I have seen makers sometimes announce vacancies.

I think you need to narrow down exactly what it is within leather work you want to do, and unless you decide to start your own business (and that has very little to do with leather work) I would suggest that you contact the companies that you would want to work for and simply ask them what their requirements are, in order for you to be able to work for them.

Good luck.

 

[Sandgel]

2 hours ago, ConradPark said:

Like any job, it's about contacts, will power and some luck. It also depends about what you actually want to do! Most larger fashion houses for example, have their own 'school' or education program, or run a intern ship program. And how to get into that is of course very individual. For example, here in the UK Mulberry run a internship program for their leather workers. 2 years minimum. And application is through the local job center. Hermes have a similar 2 year training program for some of their leather artisans, however you have to pay serious money, speak fluent French, have a fashion degree background and there is still no guarantee that you will get a job... The smaller leather studios are more likely to be a certain word of mouth kind of thing, however I have seen some leather workshops here in London sometimes put up a sign in the window about staff wanted - even for leather workers. On this forum, I have sometimes seen saddle makers announce that they are looking for intern, also on FB and Instagram, I have seen makers sometimes announce vacancies.

I think you need to narrow down exactly what it is within leather work you want to do, and unless you decide to start your own business (and that has very little to do with leather work) I would suggest that you contact the companies that you would want to work for and simply ask them what their requirements are, in order for you to be able to work for them.

Good luck.

 

 

Thank you so much for the information! Yupe, it's about contacts, will power and some luck unless money isn't a problem for you. Wish me luck.