Leatherwork as the Hobby that Hones and Heals 

by Gene Fowler 

Adrian Petersen has a problem. Actually, he has a lot of problems. And he embraces each one, ravishes them, devours them, adorns his life and world with their relative solutions. The 32-year-old designer based in Stockholm, Sweden, even named his leather accessories brand, Abersome, after the pile o’ probs that vex all makers on the journey from conception to construction. As he explained in a recent Zoom interview, “Aber means problem in Swedish.” 

With a full-time job designing military bags made of nylon and plastic, Adrian doesn’t need to sell his unique shoes, boots, holsters and other leather creations. Rather, the artistic process of his sideline hobby keeps him tuned up for tackling finer points of design. “My normal job doesn’t challenge me as much,” he says. “But my leatherwork is a fun, advanced hobby that keeps my mind active by presenting an endless array of problems to solve.” 

Though Adrian received a Master of Fine Art Industrial Design degree from Lund University in 2019, much of his leatherwork design aesthetic stems from a quasi-punk rock, DIY philosophy. “I was a lot more political when I was younger,” he explains. “But treating others the way you want to be treated has probably always been key to me; and it’s the only way an anarchistic society could work. But I believe there are too many that aren’t mature enough in their view of others for it to work. I’m probably more of an anarchist in a philosophical sense and don’t believe it would work politically.” 

Reflecting further, he adds, “One of my ideas with Abersome is that one  can get a rudimentary understanding of how to make and do things with the help of the internet. Sure, you won’t be a master of any length, and can’t measure up to someone that has had an apprenticeship and worked themselves up to become the best at what they’re doing. But with dedication, you can get a rudimentary understanding of things that once were locked away as trade secrets. Today, knowledge is freer than at any time in history, but as a receiver of knowledge you have a responsibility to be—maybe not so much aware of your limitations as that can hold you back and prevent you from striving beyond those limits—but you have a responsibility to be humble. Being self-taught you won’t have the experience as a master craftsman, but neither are you locked in tradition.” 

In high school, Adrian explains, he was more interested in a science program and his primary art activity was in computer illustration. But after high school, he attended art school and, interestingly, planned to enlist in the military. But a shoulder injury and a diagnosis of MS in his early 20’s changed those plans. Fortunately, the disease in Adrian’s case has proven to be manageable and has presented him with few issues. His interest in leatherwork started around this time. 

“Leather,” he muses, “is a material that ages beautifully, if it is treated correctly, and it has the ability to add in aesthetic value over time. It really lacks an equivalent replacement in its properties. Its volume and texture make it a very interesting material to work with. But it’s the gracious aging that adds value. That’s so much better than something pristine and shiny.” 

One of Adrian’s leather creations that really caught my eye is his unique body holster, which he has been wearing since 2016. The straps that wrap around the torso of this holster, however, do not accommodate a firearm but are instead designed for easy carrying of one’s cell phone and/or wallet. “I first made one of those about 10 years ago,” he says. “The holster was the first thing I made of leather. It was born out of need; I didn’t want to have to carry my phone and wallet in my pocket. It’s the ‘darling’ of my designs, and I feel naked now without it.” 

When I mentioned that I’d never seen a holster made for these purposes, Adrian explained that he hadn’t either when he first made it. Since that time, he has run across holsters of this nature worn by security guards and saw another advertised in a flight magazine. “When I first made it,” he adds, “I intended it to be fully modular with exchangeable holders and such, but lately I have been making it less modular, since I’m only doing it for myself. Also, many of today’s phones have gotten too big for my holster to accommodate them.” 

Another Abersome creation that struck me as completely original is what Adrian named his Dirty Shoe. My knowledge of cutting-edge shoe design might barely equal that of your average hillbilly, but I’d never seen a shoe with that curvy stitch across the front. “I call it the Dirty Shoe because the throwaway aspect of the shoe industry makes it dirty, in my opinion. Manufacturers generally don’t put in the effort it takes to make a shoe repairable. The Dirty Shoe is a street shoe that has a replaceable sole. Essentially, you can replace every part of it including the different elements of the upper.” That blue thread contrasting with the light tan cowhide really makes it sing. 

I’m no expert on the history of the punk movement, primarily having viewed all the hairstyles and body accoutrements with the intrigued eye of an amateur anthropologist, but I do know that many of its adherents were big on combat boots. Also hiking type boots. And Adrian’s semi-private brand features three styles: Jump Boots, Deco Boots, and Deco Jungle (or Jump) Boots. The last two, as the names indicate, were inspired by the Art Deco movement. All the boots spring from Adrian’s interest in historic military gear that mixed canvas with leather in so many applications. 

Abersome creations generally use veg-tanned cowhide, which Adrian obtains through a local distributor for Sweden’s Tärnsjö Garveri House of Leather. “I generally buy hides from the chest area because they’re cheaper,” he says. 

Whatever one purchases from Tärnsjö Garveri, as the company’s website maintains, they can rest assured about product quality. “Our tannery is among the remaining five percent of tanning houses worldwide who still employ the tradition of vegetable tanning in favor of the more time and cost-efficient chrome excel method,” the company states. “We have chosen to respect the environment with our business practices using bark extracts, along with water and water-based finishing. The fact that the resulting aesthetic is of unparalleled quality and beauty is a welcome and much cultivated benefit.” 

At Abersome, Adrian Petersen applies the same level of care and problem solving to his design and leatherwork. His comments about the challenges encountered in the process on his Instagram posts are honest and refreshing. And while he’s sold a few holsters and other pieces on Etsy, it’s an open question what direction his leatherwork and brand will take going forward. 

One thing is certain though; it will be uniquely Adrian. “My design teachers told me after my Master’s presentation,” he recalls of his advanced education, “that I hadn’t adopted the design process they tried to teach, but instead I had developed my own way. They referred to my heavy focus on mockups and prototypes instead of renderings. And they made it clear that that wasn’t a bad thing….My biggest passion is design and I have a need to develop and create things. I constantly go over ideas in my head, production methods, material use or product designs. I’m an avid maker with a curious mind.” 

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