Meet the Makers - The Brady Team
For the last 50 years, fewer and fewer voices can be heard from those involved in English manufacturing. Many industries have declined or moved abroad, but some still remain and others are even thriving. This is how we find Brady Bags, nestled in a small corner of Birmingham, with a dedicated team with many combined years of experience. Skills that may have been forgotten in other English cities remain modestly preponderant at Brady; we visited and discussed those skills and experience with the individuals who make the bags that our customers use everyday…
STEPHEN ROSE - FABRIC CUTTER
How long have you worked at Brady?
I started working for Brady on 4th July 1978 - just over 48 years ago.
Who taught you?
I was taught by the manager of the company,W. A. Gould. He was fairly elderly when he taught me, so he would have passed away quite a few years ago. But he managed the factory and he taught everybody the steel pan cutting and press cutting.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
I enjoy the challenge of cutting, making efficient use of the materials and seeing the end products produced successfully.
What skill took the longest to master?
I found the skill I needed when I started was hand cutting, we had to learn to cut round tissue paper 40 years ago.And then we worked our way up because it was much more hand cutting then than there is now. It's an occasional use now whereas in the old days when I started it was a regular occurrence. The ability to cut round tissue paper without doing any damage is quite an achievement, when you do succeed at it.
How does it feel to be contributing daily to both the heritage and future of Brady?
Yeah, it's an interesting job. Everybody's fairly friendly around here, you know, we all know each other and it’s trying to get the company to grow and expand in new markets and new projects that we do for different places.That's enjoyable, making new products.
What does British manufacturing mean to you?
Quality. It’s important that we keep our heritage alive in this country, show the rest of the world what we can do. And I do believe that we're probably the best at what we do at this moment in time.
Thoughts from Chris -
Without Steve, I wouldn't know what amount of canvas or the amount of any material will go into each of my bags, which tells me how much of a yield I can get out of the fabric.
He has the eyes to identify any faults in the fabric and brings it to our attention. We've got this factory cat that was here before we were and Steve takes him home every night and looks after him. He'll listen to people say, ‘I quite like this,’ and next thing you know, he's bought it in the next day for them to have. Steve isn't just one of our cutters. We really employ people that look out for each other and respect each other and respond well to each other.And they may have their grumbles just like they do their own family at home. That's sort of what Brady is. We are a family.
ALAN CHILD - PACKING AND QUALITY CONTROL
How long have you worked at Brady?
24 years
Who taught you?
I was taught by a gentleman called Kevin Roberts, who no longer works for us. He worked in this particular position for 13 years.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
As packers we check the canvas, the leather, the webbing straps and the stitching to make sure it's good or if anything needs to be sent back to have repaired.
What skill took the longest to master?
For me personally, it’s making sure we've got the correct amount of stitches per inch. You can have anywhere between seven to eight stitches an inch and sometimes trying to make sure you’ve got that amount of stitching on certain parts of a bag can be difficult. When you go around a curve on a bag, sometimes you get more, sometimes you get less. So trying to make sure you have roughly seven to eight stitches was the hardest part for me personally.
How does it feel to be contributing daily to both the heritage and future of Brady?
It's nice to work for a company that's been around for so long.
Thoughts from Chris -
Alan, he makes sure that the bags leave this building with such a high quality, when he brings them back down, if anything, he's tweaking slight details. His job isn't just counting six or eight stitches per inch. His job is painstakingly going through every single part of a bag just to make sure that we're delivering quality goods to all our customers.
STACY WATTS - PREPARER
How long have you worked at Brady?
6 years
Who taught you?
I was taught by a lady called Sandra, plus Marie has taught me as well. Sandra is one of the originals from Goulds and retired when she was 73 years old. So Sandra would have had a total of probably 50 years service.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
It's just the end product really, they’re just fun to make.
What skill took the longest to master?
Mine was probably edging and rounding the point around. Mine were square at first, when I first started, but now they're quite rounded and nice.
Thoughts from Chris -
Stacy, although she's only been here a few years, has already been earmarked to be one of the future trainers because of her quality, her skill, her passion, and the fact that people just warm to her as a person. She’s also one of the few people other than Marie and one other who can make the cartridge bags because they're such a require such a skill that not everybody can make them.
RANVIR KAUR - MACHINIST
How long have you worked at Brady?
5 years
Who taught you?
Eileen taught me!
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
There is not any one thing that is my favourite in making the bags. It's my whole job as a machinist because I work with all the different style of bags, each one is a different speciality. That's why it's always my favourite job.
What skill took the longest to master?
Mine is mastering the stitching, corner stitching in inches and the curves, when they put the binding on the corners, details like that.
Thoughts from Chris -
Ranvir - she's so skilled on the machine, she has no problem. If a preparer is busy, she will put herself next to that person and say, ‘how can I help you?’ She’ll do some preparing herself just to make sure that she's working as part of the team and achieving not only what she has to do, but helping her team achieve what they have to do.
EILEEN BOWEN - MACHINIST, TEACHER
How long have you worked at Brady?
9 years
Who taught you?
I was taught by Pauline. She’s retired now and she worked here for about 40 years.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
My passion is about making the bags from start to the finish, seeing the outcome, following it through.
What skill took the longest to master?
It took the longest for me make sure everything is accurate in putting the bags together.
Thoughts from Chris -
Eileen was one of the few people, along with Marie, Steve and Alan, who followed me from the old factory when we became an independent. It's down to their loyalty to the brand that they travel further now just to work here. Eileen catches a bus every day and night, for over and hour, without complaining about how long it takes her because she's so passionate about Brady and wants to make sure that she can deliver for the business.
MARIE RANFORD - PREPARER, STITCHER, TEACHER
How long have you worked at Brady?
I’ve worked in the leather industry for over 40 years, with Brady for 11 years.
Who taught you?
Initially I was taught by a lady also called Sandra at the old place I used to work at. But Sandra also helped me when I started at Brady.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
It’s start to finish every aspect of the job. But the best is seeing the end product, I think, seeing it all come together.
What skill took the longest to master?
Edging and boning and getting your points nice and round, not square. I think that's the hardest as a preparer to get that skill. That's the hardest bit.
What does British manufacturing mean to you?
Manufacturing is key to the brand, to retain the heritage of a craft of makers.
Thoughts from Chris -
Marie joined the company at the old building and immediately just slotted in as if she's always been part of the furniture. She brought along different ways of doing things, different skills, a different perspective.For me, that's quite important because for the few of us that have been with the company for so many years, we sometimes don't look from the outside in. So Marie came with fresh eyes, asking, ‘what if we did it this way? Is that going to be any better for us and enable us to achieve what we want?’.
KEITH DOBSON - LEATHER CUTTER, PREPARER, BELT MAKER, TEACHER
How long have you worked at Brady?
40 years
Who taught you?
A gentleman called Teddy Killier taught me how to do the Brady Bags. It was about 40 years ago when he started to teach me how to do Brady.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
The only part I really do on the bags is the leather part and I like them to be all nice, neat and if the preparer’s do accept them, that's all right. That's brilliant by me. You know what I mean? I love that part.
(Keith also manufactures all the Labour and Wait leather belts. He hand cuts them and then they go to hand stitching. Keith is also a leather cutter and he hand makes every belt that Brady sells. He can also hand plait as well. I just felt Keith was doing himself a disservice there - Chris)
What skill took the longest to master?
To me, it's having sharp tools, sharp knives, because if you ain't, you won't do anything properly. So that's the hardest part for me, is sharpening the tools.
How does it feel to be contributing daily to both the heritage and future of Brady?
I think we're all in about the same situation there, is what we want to say. I mean, personally, I’m coming to the end of my years here. It's nice to know you can pass your work on to somebody. 40 years is a long time at a place and to pass your skill on to some younger ones if they want, because they all want to learn when they come here. It's just nice to be able to know that this will still be here when I've gone, if you know what I mean.
What does British manufacturing mean to you?
Quality. I mean, there's a lot of manufacturing businesses going bump at the moment. It's nice to be able to be in a firm that's done 140 years, you know, and to hopefully keep it going as long as we can with the skills we've got.
Thoughts from Chris -
Keith was actually one of the first people I was introduced to when I was an apprentice. He was one of the few people that actually made me stay, along with Steve, because being 18 years younger than the second youngest employee is quite tough. He kept me going, keeping me on the right track.For Keith to commit to the next generation, to teach them if they are willing to learn and put the time in, to show them how and pass on his skill, is actually a huge testament to him as a person. There’s a lot of the older generation in the manufacturing industry who as far as they're concerned, don't want to teach anybody. They just want to come to work, do their job and go home. Keith doesn't look at it like that. Steve doesn't look at it like that. Alan doesn't look at it like that. They want to make sure that when they, I hope in many years to come, eventually step down and retire, the company is still strong, still has those skills and will still be here for another 140 years.
JACK BAKER - LEATHER CUTTER
How long have you worked at Brady?
4 years
Who taught you?
I was self taught in the role that I'm in due to the previous cutter leaving before I had my training but since I've been taught by Keith on small things here and there.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
My favourite part about cutting is when we get special bags in where we'll do, a limited run and be able to cut something different from time to time.
What skill took the longest to master?
I’d say the hardest part for me to master was getting the consumption right based on what I'm cutting, because you need to have the correct gaps, really. The leather comes in as a whole skin and I have to ensure that we get the highest yield out of each skin of leather, to ensure that the company is obviously getting the most money out of that skin. So, identifying any scars in the leather, any marks that are deemed faulty. So it take a lot of time to position the knife very close together and work around the lever to get the most yield.
Thoughts from Chris -
Jack is one of our youngest employees. I've never met a young person with such a grown up head. Yes, he may grumble, but ultimately he does his job. He learns quickly and is not scared of bringing new ideas to the table. He puts himself in the conversation to try and progress the business.
ROYSTON BIRD - DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
How long have you worked at Brady?
52 years, overall.
Who taught you?
I was working for a leather company and they sent me to art college in Walsall where there was leather courses, Walsall Leather Art College. That’s where I started learning things. That's where you learnt your trade.
What is your favourite part of making a bag?
Actually, having the bag, then sorting out the design and the development of it with the different people that you're working with. Putting it together and seeing how it all comes out, whether it works first time, not always, because form and function are always different.
That's the interesting part. Looking to see what we can do, building different prototypes, asking the people involved if it’s what they want, adding the detail - can we put a pocket it, will that work?
If I'm honest, I can't remember how many different bags I've made in my lifetime, from pieces of luggage to bags, even to different things in the leather area.
What skill took the longest to master?
I think pattern making, because it has to be so precise. If you've got a design to work to, they're specifically giving sizes, you have to think to yourself that that's the finished size. But actually, what you have to do with patterns, you have to account for all the seams, the turnovers. So it's the build-up of all different patterns, depending on what product it is. From a small bag to a bag that's got quite a few parts to it. So that's the most intriguing part for me, working it all out, trying to fit the puzzle together. You've really got to fit it together.
How does it feel to be contributing daily to both the heritage and future of Brady?
Well, it's interesting because, you're doing different things every day. You're not on a production line. In this area, it's totally different the next day. I might be on one design for two or three days, then I move on to something else, which is totally different, even though it's a product, a bag, or a small piece of luggage. It's all different building it up, so it's more interesting.
It's good in, you know, teaching the younger generation this skill, this craft. Having so many years at Brady, I’ve seen us go from 60 bags a week to 600 bags a week. I want to pass on the legacy.
What does British manufacturing mean to you?
Where all this is concerned it’s quality and attention to detail. Whether it's a simple bag that's say two body panels, a handle or a gusset. But your quality of it and your stitching and your fabrics that you use, your leathers, the quality of them as well.
So that's how I see it.
Let me say I've worked in the industry, for over 50 years. It's been a joy. An absolute joy
Thoughts from Chris -
A lot of the patterns that are hanging up [pictured] are what Royston has designed. So these are going back quite a few years.We've got more in our archive locked room, where it goes back even more. It's a testament to Royston's skill and accuracy, because if one of his patterns is a millimetre out, the entire bag just doesn't work. So it's that level of skill that Royston has sort of had a raw talent for always, but he's toned and defined over the years.
DAVE - FACTORY CAT
Dave was at the factory before Brady arrived, and has been a familiar face for 14 years. He was owned by a local family, and decided to move out completely when they introduced a puppy to the family.
He knew the lay of the factory better than any of the Brady team, and often finds himself a nice cardboard box to lay his head for the day until he wants a fuss, where he then jump's up onto Chris’ desk and sits being fussed whilst looking in judgement at the factory floor workers (making Chris look like a very camp bond villain).
He is very close to Steve, and when it is time for Steve to leave for the day, Dave simply goes to him and into his car he gets, and will be back for work the following day. Dave likes the Sandringham game bag, mostly because he likes toying with the net that is attached to the bags’ front.
SOME WORDS FROM CHRIS
I think they've all been quite modest about what they do. For me, English manufacturing is them. It is the people that are in this building. We don't production line, we are quality first. So if Stacy starts a bag, she finishes that bag. If Eileen starts up machining a bag, she will finish that bag.The entire quality of that product is burdened to them which makes handmade Brady goods completely unique to the rest of handmade in England because our bags truly are unique. If there is a box of aerial trout made by Stacy, it’ll will look slightly different to how Marie makes it. They're making the same bag, but it's just natural that each one has different finishes overall based on the personal touches of the maker. Each bag is unique.
