[New Product Development Series ②] Let's make a briefcase "sample"

Hello!

This is Onda from HushTug.

This is a continuation of our new product development series.

In the previous article ↑, we started product development of a briefcase and introduced the process of planning and creating a sample using cardboard.

This time, we will continue by showing you how to make samples using leather.

Create a specification

Now that the size and design have been solidified from the previous cardboard sample, we will create something like a "specification sheet" to communicate this image to the person in charge of making the leather samples.

Here's a part of the actual specification:

In this way, we communicate the image of what will actually be made to the person in charge of creating the sample.

Sample Production

Now let's finally create a sample.

On the Japanese side, Nakajima, a staff member who also serves as the manager of the Otsuka showroom, is in charge of making samples.

Nakajima was originally a complete amateur who had no idea how to process leather or make samples!

However, since last year, I have been attending leather classes every week and have improved to the point where I can make samples.

From here on, I will hand over the blog to Nakajima to provide commentary.

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Hello! This is Nakajima from HushTug!

We receive the proposal document mentioned above and create samples, but roughly speaking the sample is completed through four steps.

1. Write the pattern
2. Cut out the leather
3. Skiving the leather
4. Sew

1. Write the pattern

The previous image was a specification document, but a pattern is like a blueprint.

We draw up detailed blueprints for making a bag, such as "Shape the leather into this part" and "Cut this part out to x centimeters and sew here."

This pattern will be used when cutting the leather, so cut it out with a cutter.

2. Cut out the leather

Cut the leather following the pattern I drew earlier.

By the way, this is what the leather looks like before it is cut out.

Mark the leather with a pen called a silver pen...

Cut the leather along that line.

3. Skiving the leather

Freshly processed or purchased leather is still thick and heavy.

To make this easier to process, the leather needs to be skimmed.

(Strain = to make thin)

Example of a papermaking machine

Source: zit tools

Using a special machine called a leather skiving machine, the leather is skived to the right thickness, and then finally sewn together to make a briefcase.

4. Sew

The sample is complete by sewing together the leather parts we have prepared so far.

(I don't have any photos because I used the leather sewing machine in the leather class ... I'll take some next time...)

Here's the latest completed sample!

I am still not as skilled as the Mongolian craftsmen, so the pieces are a little crooked and the stitching is rough, but I managed to make a briefcase.

There are still many areas that need to be improved, so it won't be released anytime soon, but I just wanted to let you know that development is progressing.

In the future, we will send this sample pattern to Mongolia and have samples made at the HushTug factory, but I will talk about that another time.

By the way, I plan to write about this new product development series until the briefcase is actually released, so I will update the blog with any progress!

Thank you for reading to the end today!

HushTug Onda and Nakajima