Lead with PurposeInterview with Yusuf Osman
On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to leather craftsman, Yusuf Osman to talk about his career and his passion for leather.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- My mission right now is to get the world talking about leather, but it’s taken me a long time to get here. I didn’t know a creative career existed when I was a child, so from the narrow range of options presented to me at school I decided to choose law. As soon as I arrived in London for university, I realised it wasn’t for me, those weren’t my people, especially not the corporate side. But, I took advantage of being in London & the ability to try different things like working in food, knitting, jewellery, circus arts, ceramics, woodworking & after I graduated I discovered leather-working.
- Looking through a lens of connecting different areas of our lives through leather, & connecting it to the values of craftsmanship, we can begin to understand ourselves, our relationship with materials, the natural world, how we relate to each other, & what kind of world we want to live in, what kind of values. It’s a way to be able to grasp sustainability in a tangible way.
- I was always driven by purpose. I didn’t fit into the corporate focus of law in the City, so I ended up practicing human rights law. But, as I was practicing it I realised that all I was doing was just putting a plaster on very big social problems that I couldn’t solve. I didn’t want that, & that’s what made me shift. I didn’t want to be someone that fixes, I wanted to be someone that builds because that adds value.
- I tried for 10 years to make money the reason I pushed myself and made my business successful, but really it was never my driver. I don’t think many, if any creative people are led by money. What I’ve realised, & I probably always knew, was that I wanted freedom when I left my job. I just came back from a stint of travelling and experiencing craft on the road & I realised it’s freedom that I need, not to be trapped by a sense of doing the same thing, I must keep a sense of freedom in what I do, I can’t follow a set path. Money has never driven me, though I want to earn more money. To do that I’ve had to realise what my value is, & I’m attuning to that and believe my value will be reflected back from the world in terms of money.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Leather-working is still very much an undiscovered craft in terms of mass acceptance I’d say it’s a very accessible craft, you don’t need a lot to start, but it’s not as accessible as knitting, sewing or ceramics. But, that’s something I’m working to change.’
‘Leather is one of the few materials that connects land, farm, food, fashion, and beyond.’
‘People like to listen to me talk & the way that I communicate, that’s a skill that I learned at law school which is a really useful skill.’
‘People say that when you find something that you love you should pursue it as a business, but that just moves you from one box into another box. When I work, the only thing that drives me is a sense of freedom.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Yusuf Osman’s passion for making started whilst reading law at The London School of Economics where he thrived in the extracurricular. He continued to explore his creative side whilst training to be a solicitor. An avid workshop taker, he tried the gamut of crafts and discovered a passion for premium natural materials and a flair for working with his hands.
A chance weekend workshop in The Cotswolds introduced Yusuf to the world of traditional British leather craftsmanship and began a quest that has taken Yusuf all over the world to learn from the best and returning home to obsessively hone his skills in his home studio.
An all consuming hobby turned into a career when Yusuf moved into his current studio at Cockpit Arts Deptford to pursue leather-working full-time. His work has been exhibited at the Walsall Leather Museum and featured in Crafts Magazine; he has taught leather-working to actor John Malkovich and magician Drummond Money-Coutts and he has worked with brands such as eBay and Jo Malone.
Yusuf is the UK's foremost authority on fine saddle-stitched leathergoods. From sketch to final stitch, your piece is conceived and made in-house using the finest cuts of leather and a unique blend of contemporary and traditional techniques.
Socials: @yussico
ABOUT THE HOST
Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.
In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.
Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.
Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.
CONTACT DETAILS
