Image Credit : Photographs by Alexandra Leary
Project Overview
Can a high quality leather belt be made by using water and pressure instead of rivets and stitching? Yes it can, Introducing the Farrah Kimberly Belt
Organisation
Team
Tom Farrah
Project Brief
To create a high quality belt with a clean aesthetic following the Farrah design ethos of attempting to solve more of the design problem with the base material.
I wanted to create a high quality belt with maximum usability for both men and women however as with all of the Farrah products I wanted to look deeper into the potential of the base material to solve more of the design problem. So I asked myself, can a belt be made with no rivets or stitching? After experimenting with different processes and techniques I found the answer was yes.
Project Innovation
Designer and manufacturer Tom Farrah has been able to create a belt without any rivets or stitching. After researching and finding the "Kimberly" knot which was commonly used by cattlemen to attach reigns to bridles on rural properties in the northern parts of Australia Tom has pushed the application of the Kimberly knot further to not only anchor the stainless steel buckle but also act as "keepers" for the tail end of the belt.
Design Challenge
The development process was challenging and took sometime however experimenting with and developing new techniques has paid off. Using hot water and a metal workers offset vice to impart a metric tonne of pressure, Tom has successfully created a high quality belt comprising only of a stainless steel buckle and a strap of leather. The belt is 32mm in width to ensure that it is able to be worn by both males and females from casual to formal attire.
Sustainability
The unique characteristics of the Kimberly knot delivers a far longer lasting alternative to other belts as there is no interruption to the surface of the leather that is under the most amount of force or tension. This ensures that the Farrah Kimberly belt has an extraordinary life span meaning the customer will need to buy less belts over their lifetime.
The belt width is 32mm meaning that it can be worn by both male and female in causual or formal dress
The Farrah Kimberly belt is Australian designed, developed and manufactured.
Maker Design - Method
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