Meet the Makers, ep 2: Elodie, Leather Restoration Specialist

Interview by Layla Sargent, Founder of The Seam, September 2025.

Earlier this month I met with Elodie, a leather restoration and customisation specialist who has been part of The Seam since 2022. Her North London studio is covered in paint swatches and fine brushes, with a large window flooding the space with natural light - essential for her meticulous colour matching. On her workbench, bottles of pigments line up like a painter’s palette, waiting to bring handbags and shoes back to life.

Layla: How did you first get into your craft?

Elodie: It actually started with embroidery in France. I’ve always been obsessed with colour - painting, stitching, anything precise. At fifteen, I interned at Chanel’s Montex atelier and completely fell in love with hand embroidery. It felt like painting with thread - super detailed and calming.

Layla: Who or what inspired you to focus on leather?

Elodie: My family, strangely enough. Many generations back worked in a shoe factory - cousins, uncles - they were all in footwear. Although my mum works in marketing and my dad in logistics, so it skipped a generation. I used to ruin my shoes constantly as a kid, and now I’m the one repairing them. It feels like a full circle.

Layla: What’s your favourite bit about what you do?

Elodie: Every time I do a customisation, there’s one brushstroke when it suddenly makes sense - when the whole thing comes together. Up until that point, it looks messy, but you just have to trust the process. That one moment of clarity always feels magical.

Layla: What’s been your most challenging restoration?

Elodie: A bag that was meant to change colour from black to dark green. The client told me it was embossed snakeskin, but as I started to strip it back, I realised it wasn’t embossed at all - it was genuine exotic skin, hidden under layers of paint. As the coating came off, the scales reappeared. It was a sentimental gift from a son to his mother, and when it was done, it looked incredible.

Layla: Do you use any tools that might surprise people?

Elodie: Acetone. It sounds dramatic, but it’s essential for preparing the leather — you need to strip away layers before you can rebuild. I wear heavy-duty gloves and a mask, so it looks more like industrial work than artistry!

Layla: What’s the most unusual or sentimental project you’ve done?

Elodie: My first ever customisation for The Seam. A man brought in a Louis Vuitton bag that someone had painted “YUCKS” across in huge letters. The paint wouldn’t come off, so I offered to paint over it instead. It turned out beautifully (see the full customisation on Instagram here).

Layla: What’s one customer reaction that’s stayed with you?

Elodie: A woman once brought in two bags for customisation and, when she saw the result, she doubled the payment herself. She said she wanted to honour the time and detail. That meant so much.

Layla: What’s one thing everyone should do to make their leather items last longer?

Elodie: Use a natural conditioning cream without pigments - just enough to keep the leather from drying out. Don’t over-oil. And please, never put your bag on the floor.

Layla: In your opinion, which brands are built to last?

Elodie: Hermès - without a doubt. Their leather is exceptional, the construction flawless. You can tell it’s made to endure. Chanel is also great to work with — softer skins, easy to restore. It’s the quality of leather, stitching, and traditional techniques that truly define luxury.

Elodie’s work is equal parts art and science - guided by precision, patience, and deep respect for the materials she restores. In every brushstroke, you can see her quiet devotion to colour and craft.

If you’d like to work with Elodie or request a specific Maker, simply add their name when prompted during your initial enquiry on The Seam.