Designer Spotlight: Tovi Sorga - The Clothes Maiden

Founded by artist and leather jeweller Tovi Sorga, British accessories brand Tovi Sorga make printed leather bags and accessories. Imagery inspired by the natural world, by textiles, by art, architecture, music and the possibilities of the digital world are used to decorate functional pieces that both delight the eye and ease modern living. At the heart of the work are the brand’s rich, delicate prints. Celebrating Tovi and co-designer Agnes Davis’ love for nature, purses, wallets and mouse mats are covered with the impressions of lace and decoupage roses, of flowers from an English summer and a Dutch spring. Phone cases appear etched from Chinese porcelain and Japanese gold gingko leaf. Vibrant charms cut into the shape of butterflies and cowry shells are printed with wonderful accuracy, mimicking the natural creatures themselves.

In contrast to the flora and fauna of previous collections, the latest entitled Möbius, explores futuristic ideas of transforming 2D shapes into 3D forms. Line and texture are combined to create dynamic, illusionistic designs that are at once contemporary and classical. Modern forms are warped to the point where they find their own life. A colour palette of pastels and oily crystals lifted by sassy neons and metallic is inspired as much by nature as by wonder at the digital universe. Texture and a craftsman’s adoration for material is key to the brand. The finest, pure leather hides are selected and treated by Tovi to achieve a trademark ‘buttery’ texture. All printing is carried out in-house, and the majority of the accessories are still crafted by Tovi on his hand-powered vintage Singer sewing machine, allowing the designer to sew very slowly and precisely to achieve impeccable stitching and to keep forms pure and clean.
The brand’s unique printing technique, honed by Sorga himself over the past decade, helps create the unparalleled depth and richness for which the brand has become famous. Avoiding the flat, often mechanical effect of much digital printing on leather, bold sensuous colour is fixed in such a way as to allow unusually high definition and range. Prints are vivid and lively, dense with detail, maintaining the energy and character of the original artwork. By avoiding the plastic lacquers used on most of today’s printed leather, the natural hide remains remarkably tactile, allowing its scent and feel to engage the senses. Tovi Sorga encompasses functional pieces such as iPhone cases, tablet cases and mouse mats, carefully designed to facilitate the use of tech in everyday life. Purses and wallets are essential adjuncts while reversible fold-over clutches, one print playing beautifully against the other, and long, elegant totes with strong straps lined in contrasting colours carry everyday objects. Delightful fillips such as charms and tassels, ideal for decorating bags and accessories double-up as key rings. Wide, reversible belts, handcrafted from the thinnest Kobe hides, allow wearers to take inspiration from Japanese costume; to fold, wrap, twist, knot and sculpt, as they want.

Smart details further enhance each item’s functionality: iPads and iPhones are held in place by hidden micro-suction grip pads, making the attachment and removal easy and fluid and allowing users to better enjoy the sleek design of their devices. Broad wrist cuffs are made with secret inner pockets to hold notes, making them ideal hands-free accessories for festivals and wild nights out. The brand is committed to creating exquisite, responsible, heirloom British products. Leather is carefully sourced from Britain and Europe to create as low a carbon footprint as possible. Paramount to that ethos is an exploration of supply chains to ensure worker and animal welfare conditions meet optimum standards, and that no business is conducted with companies that destroy rainforests to create grazing land. Packaging is British-made from recycled and biodegradable materials wherever possible.