About

Locke Haberdashery & Sundries is the project of one person, me, Jamie, and is based in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.

While learning the craft of bespoke tailoring here in the antipodes, I was frustrated by a lack of access to an essential tool – the tailor's thimble. The only options on the market here are poor quality, rarely fit well, and barely suffice to do the job they are intended for. International markets have more options, but shipping costs are prohibitively expensive, especially given the risk that what you order may not fit. Antiques don't solve the problem either, as they tend only to circulate within orbit of the world's historical tailoring centres. A few years into this project, I've heard similar stories from practitioners all over the world.

Determined not to be beaten by the circumstances, I taught myself 3D modelling (CAD) and 3D printed my very own thimble back in 2019. After learning about metal casting and even working in the industry for a couple of years, I wanted to advance the project with the aim of solving the same issue for students around the globe. So began a year-and-a-half-long effort resulting in the website you are visiting now, and a partnership with a few retailers around the world who have been kind enough to support the project.

The underpinning philosophy has always been to create the best tool possible while remaining affordable, in a large enough range of sizes that anyone interested in learning the craft may do so. There are an increasing number of women now taking part in what was once a male-dominated trade, and their fingers are often not accommodated by the thimbles available today.

My approach to design, in functional applications, is that good design goes unnoticed. I have made every improvement that I can think of, increasing the coverage of indentations, ensuring they hold every size of needle in a tailor's arsenal, minimising the distance a needle can slip if it lands between indents, decreasing the weight of smaller sizes, and using the most anatomically correct profile shape, to name a few. All of this is to create a tool that allows you to direct all of your attention to the work you are doing, not the tool you are using – never failing a stitch. As tailors, we are making tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of stitches in our lives, and so any incremental gain is multiplied by a huge factor. Conversely, a thimble that slows you down will amount to an enormous waste of time. At least that's how I think of it!

The thimbles are available in an uncoated bronze/white bronze alloy, nickel-plated bronze, or sterling silver. Bronze and white bronze (there is no functional difference between the two; they are just colour options) are the cheapest and therefore the most accessible. However, depending on the climate you work in and your own body chemistry, the copper in the alloy can oxidise and leave a (harmless) stain on your skin. For those who wish to avoid this, there is a nickel-plated version. The plating will not wear off. It's worth noting that about 1 in 5 people are allergic to nickel and may develop contact dermatitis – for these people bronze may be a better option. For tailors who want to invest in the highest quality tools, the sterling silver option is hypoallergenic and has a higher level of finish. Please be aware that as silver is a precious metal, it is subject to price fluctuations and strict regulations. I may not legally be able to sell you a silver thimble depending on your country's rules regarding this.

Locke thimbles have never been a money-making project and have been entirely self-funded. The price is set to match the other retailers, without whom I could not distribute my thimbles widely enough to fulfil the aims of the project, and is an honest reflection of what they cost to produce. I hope that in this small way I can contribute something to the craft.

 

P.S. – Why "sundries"? Well, in the future, I would like to add a greater variety of products, which may not fall strictly within the category of haberdashery.

Thank you for taking the time to check out the website!