Made in the workshop on Royal Deeside in Scotland by the award winning photographer Paul Glendell, each product is a one - off.
The camera cases are hand stitched using a single thread and two needles with the thread being criss-crossed through each hole. The marks for the holes are first stamped onto the leather with a pricking iron. An awl or braddle is then pushed through the leather at each mark point for the threaded needles to pass through. Most stitching is done at eight stitches per inch. Hand stitching in this way is much stronger than machine stitching, if one thread is cut or chaffs through, unlike machine stitching it won't run. Quality like this take time to make but it lasts a very very long time. My own Leica M10 has been in the same case for six years, the case looks a bit 'battered' ( I am not good with cameras in this way ) but the camera inside is virtually mint and I use my M10 a lot for the commissions I do.
I have used my Leica cameras to shoot and produce audio slideshows for the BBC News web site amongst many other clients so each product is field tested and reliable. The cases are designed to offer as much protection for your Leica as possible whilst still allowing you access to the camera controls. You can choose to have your initials embossed on the base of the case, thus personalising your Leica camera with our unique service.
Cases are available for the Leica Q as well as the full Leica M range: M6, M7, M8, M8.2, M9, M9P, M9, M10, M11, M240, M240 (type 246) Monochrome. In addition, a case can be made to order for older Leica Film cameras.
I launched Classic Cases in 2009 after making a case for my own Leica M6. After qualifying in a course in saddlery at Cordwainers College (now the London College of fashion) in the 1970s I worked at McCoys Saddlery in Porlock west Somerset and continued to work in saddlery for eight years before taking up photography. In the thirty years since turning professional I have worked for a wide variety of clients including BBC News on-line for who I have photographed and produced eleven audio slideshows in the last few years. I have been commissioned by many national UK newspapers, and numerous magazines such as Country Life, BBC Wildlife, In Britain, Countryfile and many others.
My photos have been placed in a variety of competitions over the years including the Humanity Photo Awards (UNESCO/China) and Pictures of the Year (USA), I have had numerous solo photography exhibitions across Eastern Europe and most notably in the UK of the Tannery where the leather for Classic Cases is sourced. If you really want to know more about me here is a link to my biography and my photography web site. Many of the photos are taken with a variety of Leica cameras including an M6, M8, M9, M10, M240 and the wonderful Leica Q.