Most people who work with leather today are called leatherworkers, leather crafters, or leather artisans. “Leathersmith” is also common, but it is a modern, informal term rather than an old trade title. The best word depends on what a person makes and how they make it.
Older trade names are more specific. A tanner, a currier, and a cordwainer all worked with leather, but each did a different job. This article covers the modern terms first and then the historical trades behind them.
What is a leather maker called?
The general terms are:
- Leatherworker: anyone who makes things from leather.
- Leather crafter or leather artisan: often used for hobbyists and small studios.
- Leathersmith: a modern and informal term. It is not a historical trade title.
Specialists are usually named for what they make. A person who makes bags, wallets, and belts is a leather goods maker. The name tells you the product, not the technique.
Trades that worked with tanned leather
Some trade names describe the stage of leather production, not the finished product.
- Tanner: turns raw hides into leather. A tanner works in a tannery.
- Currier: dresses and finishes tanned leather by shaving, oiling, and stretching it.
- Whittawer or tawyer: made white leather using alum. The surname Whittier comes from this trade.
- Skinner or fellmonger: dealt in skins. Fellmongers removed wool from sheepskins.
Makers of specific goods
Other names describe a specific product:
- Cordwainer: made new shoes from fine leather. The word comes from Old French cordouanier, after Córdoba in Spain, which was known for its fine goatskin leather.
- Cobbler: historically a shoe repairer.
- Saddler: makes and repairs saddles and horse tack.
- Harness maker: makes harness for driving animals.
- Glover: makes leather gloves.
- Girdler: makes belts. The name comes from the word girdle.
- Bottler: makes leather bottles.
- Sheather: makes scabbards.
- Bookbinder: often worked with leather covers for books.
Cobbler or cordwainer?
These were different trades in the past. Cordwainers made new shoes from fine leather, while cobblers mostly repaired shoes. In London, rules barred cobblers from working new leather.
Today, “cobbler” is often used for both jobs, so the context usually tells you which one is meant.
Leather terms in other languages
Several European languages have their own trade names:
- French: maroquinier is a fine leather goods maker, from maroquin, the word for Moroccan goatskin. A sellier is a saddler.
- German: Gerber means tanner, Sattler means saddler, and Schuster or Schuhmacher means shoemaker.
Trade names that became surnames
Many family names come from these trades. Tanner, Sadler, Glover, Currier, Skinner, Cordner, and Whittier are all examples. Barker may come from bark tanning, but its origin is uncertain, and a Barker was not always a tanner.
Trades that still exist: London livery companies
Several London livery companies still carry the old trade names. These include the Cordwainers, Curriers, Leathersellers, Saddlers, Glovers, and Girdlers. A Leatherseller traded in leather rather than making it, so the name describes a merchant, not a maker.
Tanneries, factories, and workshops
People often ask what the place is called where leather is made. Hides are turned into leather in a tannery. Finished goods are usually made in a workshop or a factory, depending on the scale of the business. “Leather factory” is a general description rather than a fixed trade term.
Common misconceptions
- A tanner makes leather; a leatherworker makes things from it. The two jobs are different stages of the same material.
- “Leathersmith” is not a historical trade title. It is a modern word.
- A leatherseller was a merchant. The name does not mean the person made leather goods.
- A lorimer made metal bits and spurs, not leather goods, even though the name sounds leather-related.
Learning the craft
Most people start with a small project, such as a belt, a card holder, or a wallet. Tutorials, classes, and workshops are common ways to learn the basics. The tools, skills, and time needed depend on the project, so there is no single answer to how hard leatherworking is to learn.
For the terms you will meet along the way, see our leather making terms glossary. Medieval guild rules shaped many of these trades, and medieval leatherworking techniques explains how they worked. For people who became well known in the field, see who are some famous leather workers.