Tradition
Heritage & Inspiration
In the late 1800s Alfred Dunhill's father brought his business to London. Amongst other items he specialised in the production and supply of saddlery - much in demand during the days of the horse and carriage. As a 15-year-old apprentrice in his father's business, Alfred learnt all of the skills necessary to produce handcrafted leather items.
It was this early experience that influenced his decision to continue to produce exquisite leather items, such as bespoke motoring trunks and cases, when he inherited his father's business in 1893. The Tradition collection is a celebration of this rich heritage and uses all of the techniques and materials that Alfred would have been familiar with from his formative years as a leather apprentice.
Handmade by dunhill Master Craftsman
Tradition is the name given to Alfred Dunhill's premier range of handcrafted London made leathergoods. Each piece of this collection shows off the superb skills and talents that exist in our leather workshop. Our craftsmen take individual responsibility for a single piece from beginning to end.
Each piece is truly hand made, and each one perfectly demonstrates the care, attention to detail, and high standard with which they work. To illustrate the ownership and pride taken in its construction, the name of the craftsman producing the entire piece is embossed in a little leather card, which accompanies each Tradition leather item.
Chestnut Brown Vegetable-tanned Leather
Handcrafted in the UK, the Tradition collection is constructed from European chestnut brown leather which has been 'vegetable-tanned'. A traditional tanning method, vegetable tanning uses a natural ingredient found in many plants and bark called tannin.
Although time-consuming and expensive, this process results in a leather of the highest quality, performance, and finish that is firm, resilient and extremely durable. The natural grain of the leather is also visible, giving each piece its own unqiue look.
Dark Brown Cotton Canvas
The Tradition range also includes a bi-material canvas and leather option as an alternative to the classic all-leather Tradition. This mix of materials has been chosen to introduce new pieces including sporty zip-fastened multi-pocket details.
Although these pieces represent a new and fresh design direction, in common with all piece that proudly bear the Tradition name, these canvas and leather pieces are built in exactly the same painstaking way by the same craftsmen in the same workshop.