Bridge of Weir leather opens design studio in Warwick
Bridge of Weir, which supplies fine automotive leather supplier to some of the world’s most-respected luxury car brands, has opened a new "advanced" design studio in Warwick.
The new site will showcase Bridge of Weir’s design-led innovations and collaborations for automotive interior applications.
Operating as a design ‘skunk works’ in the heart of the UK automotive industry, Bridge of Weir wants to accelerate and expand the capabilities of leather as an automotive interior material – and to bring those developments closer to current customers, including Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Polestar and McLaren, as well as new customers.
Building on the company’s multi-million-pound tannery near Glasgow, the Advanced Design Studio in Warwick offers automotive OEM Colour, Material and Trim (CMF) teams easier and more frequent engagement with Bridge of Weir’s expert designers.
James Muirhead, Sales Director at Bridge of Weir Leather said: “On behalf of the entire team, I am delighted to officially announce our new Advanced Design Studio, which is in the heart of the UK automotive industry in the Midlands. This new site will not only push the boundaries of leather as a material but will enable our customers, the world’s leading automotive luxury brands, to engage with our innovations more readily for the benefit of both sides.”
Bridge of Weir Leather ensures that its leather production starts with responsible sourcing, with complete traceability and zero risk of deforestation in the raw hide supply chain. The company says its leather is the ultimate upcycled material, created through a 'circular' low-impact manufacturing process. Bridge of Weir uses raw hides from the local beef and dairy industries, with more than 98 per cent sourced within the UK and Ireland. This upcycling approach prevents these hides from ending up in landfills, where they would emit hundreds of tonnes of harmful methane emissions each year.
Since 2003, Scottish Leather Group, which owns Bridge of Weir, says it has reduced the average carbon intensity per hide by 90 per cent. The group achieves this through the use of 100 per cent renewable electricity and the conversion of process waste into energy.