This firm which moved to Rushden from Grantham some three years ago produces the highest grades of fancy leather. It is an "exclusive" line of business—there is only one other factory of the same kind in England—but in order to be exclusive it must keep in touch with the fashion front.

Only a few weeks ago Miss Antoinette Cellier set sail for Hollywood with the Screen’s most original gown packed away in her trunk. It was made of Suede! Two dozen pinky-beige skins, as flexible as silk, had been trimmed up and glued together for Hollywood’s first leather evening dress. The gown, it is declared, suits Miss Cellier’s personality, and the next point to be decided is whether it suits the studio arc lights.

Those pinky-beige skins were produced in Rushden, and from the same factory go gay suedes and finely grained leathers for hats, coats, gloves and sporting outfits.

Supplying Royalty

Leather manufactured by the firm has gone into garments and gloves for many members of the Royal Family. It is used for flying suits—and the development of aeroplane cabins means smarter and lighter suits. It must appear in new shades to provide novelties for the grouse-shooting season, and it must tickle the fancy of Alpine holiday-makers.

All these points are studied by Messrs. Strong and Fisher, and the attention given to fashion needs is well worth while, for it is a 1uxury trade, and in these paradoxical times the luxury trades are prospering.

Attracted by the story of the film star's frock, an 'Echo and Argus' representative visited the works on Wednesday afternoon to gather information about the industry. The firm, he learned, caters chiefly for the gloving and clothing trades, but also produces high-grade fancy leathers for the boot trade. About 70 men and girls are employed, and most of the skilled workers came from Grantham at the time of the transfer. Some Yorkshire girls arrived this week, and there is always plenty of work.

Sheep Skins from India

Indian sheep skins are used for the manufacturer of suede, and the best English sheep skins for the grain and clothing work.

One difficulty with the Indian skins, which arrive in a roughly tanned condition, is that they originate from a variety of sources. They have been handled in various ways by various people, and so, to secure uniformity, the native tan has to be taken out and the skins prepared afresh. If this were not done the dyes would produce different effects on different skins.

Among the early operations are buffing and "snuffing," to produce the fine suede nap. Then the skins go into the big dyeing drums—there is a whole battery of them—and on the gloving work the colouring is completed and the finish developed by spraying.

Pistol sprays are used, and to protect the health of the girls who wield them so dexterously the chemical fumes are drawn away by powerful suction plant at the rear of the spraying booths.

A massive press giving 600 tons' pressure applies an artificial grain to certain leathers, and, of course, there are scientific devices for finishing and drying the skins.

Colour Secrets

In their finished state the skins pass through the most precise operation of all. They are split to a uniform substance on their way through a delicately adjusted machine, and emerge in two parts—the main product and the thin skived-off duplicate. These "skivers" as they are called, are destined for useful careers in the diary and fancy trades.

A moving hook track carries the work from one operation to another in certain departments.

Obviously a business of this kind has its own special secrets. The colourings are all-important and their range is amazing. America is demanding particularly vivid hues: there must be new shades for new seasons, and leather colours must copy the colours of general fashion within a week or two. The dye-mixer must always be coming out with something fresh.

Just Like Mexico!

Then there are experiments with materials, and, if Mexican hogs are believed to present possibilities they must be tested in every conceivable manner. And, by the way, Mexican hogs are decidedly awkward creatures. Their wild and wicked ways—of pitched battles and attempted assassinations in the true Mexican tradition.

Mr. H. Fisher, a director of the firm, spoke confidently of the outlook in the fancy leather industry. Rushden, he said, is sending high-grade gloving leathers to many parts of the world, and the leather glove trade, helped by tariffs, the increase of cycling and motoring, and the trend of fashion generally, is flourishing as never before. There is also a reliable market for the best class of clothing material.

And goodness knows what may happen when Antoinette gets her new dress filmed!