News
The Robb Report Singapore: Bespoke
1 October 2016
Sabel’s devotion to quality has certainly paid off.
[portrait caption: Mia Sabel (inset) makes made-to-measure belts, watch straps and pet collars, creates stationery and accessories, and undertakes commissions and prototypes.]
Her waiting list now numbers about 150. To order a strap, one will preferably make a trip to Sabel’s workshop, where the full range of leather and thread types can be viewed and chosen. A physical visit also gives the client the benefit of an in-depth personal consultation to discuss strap and stitch styles.
Sabel also offers home and office visits at an extra charge.
Straps made this way are so perfectly fitted, only a single hole for the buckle is required. For those unable to make a physical visit, there is the option of mail order. In this instance, however, the strap will come with three holes instead of the more elegant single hole.
A PERFECT FIT
Working with only the best English leathers and using traditional techniques, Mia Sabel makes some of the most covetable watch straps from her home workshop.
By HO YUN KUAN
Photos COLIN COUTTS
[trench watch caption: Rooted in traditional English craftsmanship, Sabel offers to discerning customers, bespoke, made-to-measure, leather watch straps and fob watch holders.]
It’s not common for an established 40-year-old professional to take a year off to rethink her career, but horology enthusiasts are certainly glad Mia Sabel chose an unconventional solution for her midlife crisis.
Eight years ago, Sabel left her cushy job as a creative director designing web pages for a corporate finance firm to work in a stable while thinking about her next step. Raised by a grandfather who was a carpenter and cabinet maker and a mother who taught her how to sew, Sabel had always had a niggling
desire to do something with her hands. She eventually found herself sharing a classroom with teenage girls, studying saddlery.
[watchroll caption: Ettinger + Sabel’s hand-stitched watch rolls come in black bridle/navy suede and burgundy bridle/red suede.]
Upon graduation, however, Sabel realised that saddlery was not going to be a viable source of income. Most of her classmates were from rural England and grew up around horses, while Sabel’s suburban location in Walthamstow meant that her client base would be limited.
The resourceful Sabel decided to adapt her new skills and expand beyond saddlery.
Today, the Sabel Saddlery tagline reads: “Bespoke leather design for horse, human, home.”
It is serendipity that in the human category, watch straps, in particular, have emerged as a bestseller.
In the modest workshop behind her house, ancient tools and materials are still being used.
There are the clams – wooden clamps that resemble large tweezers, which are held between the craftsman’s legs and keep the
leather in place and at the right height for the craftsman’s hands – the vintage leathers and the traditional hand-waxed linen threads. Then, there are Sabel’s favourite types of leathers: the English bridle and oak bark. The former has been used for more than a century in the equestrian trade, and the latter, believed to be the first tanning method, employs a slow process that can take up to 20 months and gives the leather a distinctive aroma.
She sews by hand using two needles and a single linen thread to create a double-handed saddle stitch.
Even the techniques Sabel uses are reminiscent of a bygone era.
Instead of machine stitching, she sews by hand using two needles and a single linen thread to create a double-handed saddle stitch that is stronger and doesn’t unravel if damaged.
