lore + needles is an independent leather workshop in Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture, where Emi Hamaguchi handcrafts each item. The studio's name reflects its two foundations: traditional knowledge (lore) and the precise hand-stitching process (needles) that is central to the work. Hamaguchi draws from the mingei (folk craft) movement founded by Soetsu Yanagi in the 1920s, applying its aesthetics to leather — a material not historically associated with mingei — and letting practicality, simplicity, and quiet utility guide the design.

The workshop is built around three principles: mingei philosophy, respect for life, and environmental responsibility. The work follows the mingei principles of practicality, anonymity, affordability, locality, paraindividuality, and tradition; every piece is hand-stitched for durability and function. Leather is sourced from meat production and wildlife management, and scraps are repurposed to minimize waste. Only leather tanned with natural plant tannins is used.

The pieces themselves are minimalist and unembellished, designed to grow more beautiful with age and use. Hamaguchi works with traditional methods including kakishibu dyeing — persimmon tannin dye, which produces a deep natural color and adds resistance to insects, water, and decay. Stitches are placed only where structurally necessary, leaving the leather to do the work.

lore + needles holds that craftsmanship and material shape the initial product, while the user and time bring out its character. The intent is not finish but the slow accumulation of use — bags and small leather goods that take on the trace of the person who carries them.