‘My vocation was born from leather hand made stitching’

It has been over ten years since Yosuke Shibuya first set foot inside Maison Jean Rousseau’s Japanese workshop. Extremely demanding, Yosuke is the first craftsman we think of when a client commissions a bespoke watch bracelet or leather product. Dropping his usual reserve, Yosuke reveals the source of his inspiration and the values which guide his work.

by Yosuke Yoshida

It has been over ten years since Yosuke Shibuya first set foot inside Maison Jean Rousseau’s Japanese workshop. Extremely demanding, Yosuke is the first craftsman we think of when a client commissions a bespoke watch bracelet or leather product. Dropping his usual reserve, Yosuke reveals the source of his inspiration and the values which guide his work.

As far as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the ability of craftsmen to create an item from raw materials, patiently put together with great rigor. My father, who was himself a carpenter, is the original source of my love for this profession. Very soon, I had built my professional life surrounded by people wor

king with their hands: first within a craft materials store, then with bag designers before I joined Maison Jean Rousseau. I am grateful to all the craftsmen I have met through my various experiences for the lessons they taught me: working with the materials, the symmetry and equilibrium of an item, the attention given to each measure. However, it is when I discovered the fine art of leatherwork and its handmade seaming, stitch after stitch, that I truly found my vocation.

“However tiny the details may be, we must perceive and understand them all”

The extreme precision of the custom-made activity at Jean Rousseau has taught me a lot. Beyond our unique work environment, the possibility to be in direct contact with our clients within the Boutique helps us to be as close as we can to their needs and desires. When I am in charge of the creation of a piece, I have long discussions with its future owner. Together, we often have a great idea that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. The feeling of joy and pride that comes with it is very strong. This willingness to always innovate and develop my skills is precisely what guides my life as a craftsman but also as a human being.