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E61: Craft is Sanity and Brand is Vanity with Yusuf Osman

Yusuf’s passion for making started whilst reading law at The London School of Economics where he thrived in the extracurricular. He continued to explore his creative side whilst training to be a solicitor. An avid workshop taker, he tried the gamut of crafts and discovered a passion for premium natural materials and a flair for working with his hands

A chance weekend workshop in The Cotswolds introduced Yusuf to the world of traditional British leather craftsmanship and began a quest that has taken Yusuf all over the world to learn from the best and returning home to obsessively hone his skills in his home studio

An all-consuming hobby turned into a career and you can learn all about it and a lot more in this episode:

Listen to this episode and discover:

  • How Yusuf turned a passion into a hobby into a profession and why he is proud to be a craftsman;
  • What are the mistakes he made and continues to make that he would like other creatives to know about;
  • The importance of not falling for the current culture glorifying the idea of “hustling” [12:00]
  • The importance of having different streams of income [18:00]
  • How to protect your designs from being copied [33:00]
  • What it means to be “sustainable” as a brand and why he believes Craft is Sanity [38:00]

Key Takeaways:

  • Leatherwork is a beautiful marriage of beautiful material and the craftsmanship process.
  • Craft is about connecting. Connecting with the materials and then transmitting that connection. 
  • For me, there is no choice but to work on my own.

  • Making is therapy. It is a way to process things, a way to turn whatever feelings I have inside into something beautiful.

  • When most people start out they want to overprice the value of their art.

  • Why are you setting up a brand if you care for the planet?

    Making more products is not saving anyone! The solution is not making more stuff! Craft is Sanity.

Resources:

Connect with Yusuf via:

https://www.yussi.co/

Instagram: @yussico

Fall in love with leather under Yusuf’s watchful eye – book a workshop HERE

> Learn more about how to start a handbag line HERE <

About the Podcast Host:

Dessy is the author of Become a Fashion Insider book and the founder of Fashion Insiders & Co – an online platform supporting fashion and creative entrepreneurs who are in the process of launching and growing purpose-driven brands. (Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/35wo2y9 )

*** If you would like to book a powerful Breakthrough Power Hour and work through a challenge or strategize how to launch or grow your fashion business, book an hour with Dessy here***

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