Business insights for the global leather community

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Personality of the Milan leather week

Mike Redwood

In his latest column for ILM, Mike Redwood reflects on his time in Milan for Simac Tanning Tech and Lineapelle. He has taken the opportunity to name a person from the industry who he believes was the metaphorical ‘man of the match’, or rather the personality of his week of leather in Milan: Lorenzo Boldrini. Read More...

#Kindachic: Why every leather technician should read a book about alchemy

Mike Redwood

In his latest column for ILM, Mike Redwood explores how leather tanning evolved from ancient craft and experimentation into modern chemistry, arguing that today’s leather technicians are the latest generation of an ancient alchemical tradition and that craft is a foundation of scientific innovation rather than its primitive predecessor. He reflects on this from Lineapelle and Simac Tanning Tech 2026. Read More...

Differentiate or die

Mike Redwood

In his latest comment, Mike Redwood observes the choice between greater efficiency and consistency, and preserving the character, individuality and authenticity that define leather. Read More...

1066 and all that leather

Mike Redwood

In his latest column for ILM, Mike Redwood pages through memorable moments in British history, noting its unquestionable intertwining with the leather industry. Read More...

Who to talk to and what to say

Mike Redwood

In his latest comment for the September/October 2026 issue of ILM, Mike Redwood discusses the world of social media and how it has evolved over the last couple of decades, with reference to a recent social media incident in India that ultimately had the power to cause a government minister to resign. Read More...

New thinking needed on the billion dollar trap

Mike Redwood

In his latest comment, Mike Redwood explores how countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia and Argentina become trapped in the "billion dollar trap", whereby local industries and infrastructure fail despite a wealth of natural resources. Read More...

Influencing, leather and a new generation

Megan Thomas

ILM Editor Megan Thomas reflects on leather "influencers" and what their popularity says about the future of the industry, from Gen Z's opinions on luxury to items that are made to last. Read More...

Marketing with Large Language Models

Mike Redwood

In his latest comment, Mike Redwood discusses Large Language Models (LLMs) - or, as they're more commonly known, AI searches. He argues that these models will continue to scrape data, primary and secondary sources to create optimised narratives, and provides some clear action points for the leather industry if it is to ensure it is summarised positively in such searches. Read More...