About Nigel Armitage

Nigel Armitage is a leatherworker, author and tutor with 40 years of practical experience at the bench. His work encompasses bespoke leather goods, traditional hand skills, design, construction and the informed use of tools.

From the Armitage Leather workshop in Staffordshire, Nigel teaches one-to-one and group courses and travels internationally to lecture and teach. His teaching concentrates on correct working practices, why each technique works and how students can transfer those skills to their own projects.

Nigel also created Secrets from the Workshop, an extensive online resource offering detailed leatherworking instruction. Alongside his courses, he provides mentoring both in person and online.

Having studied traditional leatherwork throughout his career, Nigel combines established methods with suitable modern tools. He devised the pre-pricking technique for use with modern irons, giving leatherworkers greater control and helping them achieve more consistent stitching without losing the principles behind the craft.

Nigel is the author of two books on leatherworking, published in English, German, Spanish and French. He also holds the NVQ A1 Assessor qualification.

Across his books, courses and online teaching, his aim is consistent: to help leatherworkers understand not only how a technique is performed, but why it works, when it should be used and how it can be applied to future projects.