“Our designs aim to reveal something about the nature of leather and craftsmanship, while addressing the practical needs of our customers. The leathers we use are vegetable-tanned, the active ingredients coming from the bark and leaves of various trees and shrubs. We use no machinery in the making, preferring the direct simplicity of hand tools and the quiet rhythms of the workshop.

Surprisingly few people have ever experienced making something without the aid of machinery. In our workshops we are able to show the connections between our contemporary designs and the fine leather items of the past.”

The formation of his Aero Concept label was something of an accident, born from a chance encounter with an architect who noticed a blueprint case Keiichi had built himself with materials from his workshop. After being commissioned to build another, word began to spread and the Aero Concept moniker began to take shape.

While modern manufacturing often demands the exacting standards of robotic machinery, Keiichi has set out to emulate this with his own hand and eye. The result of this lifelong endeavour is a series of products of excellent quality, flawless execution and timeless style. His use of vegetable-tanned leather and aircraft quality duralumin alloy ensures each case mellows with use but retains its strength, with our founder Tim carrying the same card case since he tracked down Keiichi in 2006 having bought a card case from the Tokyo menswear mecca, Isetan Men’s Store.