Atelier Gry was established in 2013 ('Gry' rhymes with the French 'tu'). From the start, I was inspired by European and Japanese bookbinding and the associated principles of traditional craftmanship. My main aim is to produce works of outstanding beauty and character that differ markedly from the downmarket mass-produced goods commonly available. I am not in the business of keeping prices low at the cost of quality, and I also avoid using animal products.
Can bookbinders do without animal-derived substances?
Yes, if they want to. There is no need to use leather or animal glue for contemporary work as there are good alternatives. Most of my work is suitable for vegans. There are a few exceptions where I have used silk, these are clearly marked.
What is important to me?
Careful and responsible use of our resources, whether natural or man-made. In other words, sustainability – even though by now this term has been used to death by each and everyone in advertising. Sustainability, to me, then, is careful use of materials (waste not, want not; some of these papers are very costly), good, solid workmanship (my products should last for a very long time) and paying attention to where and how the material I use was made. My bookcloth, for instance, is made in Germany by one of the leading companies for ecological production of cloth. The papers I use are either recycled or at least PEFC-certified or made from sustainable raw materials like bamboo or Kozo (to harvest Kozo, you cut off individual branches and leave the rest of the shrub to grow).
I also offer a repair service for my work in case anything you buy from me gets damaged over time. Please note that I do not offer to repair family bibles and the like. These are better left to other bookbinders who specialize in book repairs.
By the way, 10% of my annual takings go to a good cause like nature conservation, environmental protection or animal welfare.
How do I work?
Simply by hand, with no machines whatsoever, because craft skills in bookbinding are essentially manual skills. Carefully made by hand, product quality is much higher and parts are more resilient to wear and tear. There is a lot of talk about keeping craft skills and traditions alive these days. However, talking is not enough, you have to actually use these skills which is what I try to do. Since this is the way I work, Atelier Gry is bound to remain small and exclusive, with just a limited number of items produced each year. These, however, are characterised by upmarket timeless design and premium details like hand-sewn headbands, hand-torn pages and unusual formats.
If you read German, there is a press article about me and my work at https://handwerk-special.de/ausgabe/20171202/10/