Volker Koch

Grey Sheep

Location

london / United Kingdom

University

london college of fashion

Graduation year

2012

Contact

Volker grew up with the scent of leather in a quaint town called Lemgo, in the northwestern part of Germany. His dad was the fourth generation owner of a small family-run leather goods manufacture founded in 1845. Volker lent a hand on the production floor during school holidays and started soaking up the craft from an early age.

In 1991 he decided to apply for an apprenticeship away from home in Offenbach. Being a bag maker’s son, he was initially turned away from numerous leather goods manufacturers who feared breeding their own competition. He was finally taken on as an apprentice at the same luggage manufacturer that taught his dad the ropes of the craft 32 years earlier.

After this apprenticeship that equipped him with extensive theoretical and practical knowledge and another two years working in Germany and France in notable fashion houses such as Hermès, he moved to South Africa, where he worked in the product development of a luxury handbag manufacturer. There he acquired specific knowledge in working with exotic skins such as crocodile, ostrich, snake and lizard.

After 13 years in South Africa, Volker decided to move forward with his professional development and in 2012 he graduated in the MA Fashion Artefact Master program directed by Dai Rees at the London College of Fashion.

Since April 2012 he has joined forces with Oliver Rüüger www.ruuger.com

Latest Collection

Sumbawanga Trail

Shifting Anthropological Form into Contemporary Utilitarian Artefact -

It is my passion to design and make unique leather objects with a strict code of craftsmanship but also with the sensitivity and respect for our natural environment.

The pieces of this collection have been moulded and hand-stitched from vegetable-tanned leather using a fusion of state-of-the-art and time-honoured techniques.

The objects’ shapes have been sculpted to mimic the body’s contours when worn, ensuring a snug and comfortable fit while remaining fully functional. When away from the body, each design stands alone as an intriguing artefact of pure craftsmanship and simple beauty.

This collection is influenced by primal forms, such as the hand axe, the grindstone and the stele as well as by the findings of the late mathematician August Ferdinand Möbius.

Fusing primal elements with science and modern views, Sumbawanga Trail aspires to raise awareness for the diversity of culture and contemporary thinking in our world.