How did CLG London come to be? What was your ‘inciting incident’?
CLG London was founded by Hannah and I on a simple idea, shouldn’t corporate gifting leave a positive, long-lasting impression?
Having worked in the leather accessories industry for some time, both Hannah and I saw how certain accessories became staples of people’s lives, people really valued them. We wanted to connect the world of luxury retail with the corporate sector, knowing that beautifully made products would be loved and appreciated by all. And what better way to gift your guests, clients or at events than with luxury branded merchandise.
Why should hoteliers opt for leather as opposed to faux leather?
They tick so many boxes that corporate businesses must hit, especially around being environmentally friendly. Faux leather is environmentally wasteful compared to real leather, as real leather is a by-product. Faux leather products quickly become a throw away item. No matter what the product is made from, even the more trendy materials such as pineapples, apple skin or mushrooms are always mixed with plastics and still don’t compete with rub tests and durability.
The beautiful thing about leather is that it lasts. Much longer than faux leather, which will wear away and fray in no time at all. Real leather is going to have great durability over time because it won’t crack or peel. Instead of wearing out, real leather will develop a patina on its natural surface. Leather really is like a fine wine, only getting better with time.
We use the finest full grain calf-leather to create these beautiful accessories. We choose to re-purpose and re-home this versatile material into practical products that we know our clients will use every day and last generations.
How does CLG London maintain its commitment to sustainability?
Each product is made bespoke to each of our client’s specifications, not only providing a truly unique service but this also enables us to continue on our zero-waste commitment. We leave no
stock sitting on the shelves nor do we over-manufacture, we make to only our client’s quantities and not one product more.
Which product is your personal favourite?
It’s difficult to pick one from our catalogue, but if I were to pick my top 3, these would be my favourites:
Hospitality: A5 Menu cover – from the design process of this product to its natural beauty and incredibly sturdy structure, it’s a firm favourite of mine and our customers.
Travel: Our hexagon bag tag, it’s simple yet effective. Minimalist and yet does exactly as it intends, a bag signifier, I love how we personalised this for The Berkeley with a winky face.
Technology: Our AirTag luggage tag, we were quick off the mark with this one, a week after Apple launched their AirTag, Hannah had thrown herself into making our design, basing it off the classic Hermes design with a CLG spin. It’s the perfect mix of where technology meets luxury.
What’s your product achievement at CLG London?
We launched CLG during the pandemic, an extremely unsure time for the World. Given the nature of the difficult time we were in and the huge hit the hospitality sector faced, we chose to put our hospitality accessories on hold.
Fast forward a year and a half and we were approached by Fever-Tree to make menu covers for their first bar opening in Edinburgh Airport. Having never made a menu cover before, we worked tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the design was covered and perfected. Another year on from our hospitality launch, and taking on customers such as Peroni, San Carlo and The Burlington, we are now seeing this to be our most popular product with countless very happy customers. This, to me, really does feel like an incredible achievement, I’m excited to see where the rest of 2023 takes us!
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