We were delighted to see our Oxford leather camera wrist strap in the December 2023 issue of Amateur Photographer magazine.
In the issue, photographer Damien Demolder writes:
“Some camera straps are bigger than the cameras they are strapping, and some have such bright funky designs they really draw attention. I like a small camera with a small strap and like to use a wrist strap so the camera in my pocket can be attached to my hand all the time. You can use string straps of the sort that used to come with mobile phones, but if the strap is thin, it will become uncomfortable and cut off your circulation. I have a leather Hawkesmill strap that becomes more and more comfortable with time as it softens, which is small enough to not make the kit too big and which is strong enough that I’m not going to lose the camera if I let go of it. A strap like this isn’t cheap but is worth investing in – you will be wearing it all day, like your shoes, and you will need it to remain comfortable.”
A Bit of History
We launched Hawkesmill almost 8 years ago. We have had numerous write-ups in most of the major photography magazines and blogs. However, it never gets old. In 2014 we first had the idea to start our own photography brand. We didn’t have any design experience. We certainly weren’t leather-workers. And we had no idea how hard it would be to have products made in the UK, especially bags. We were professional photographers, who were all obsessed with everything photography. I picked up my first camera in 1996, a Canon A2e. I have been completely obsessed with photography since then. It’s easy to get a hold of brilliant cameras and lenses, but we found it hard to get camera bags and straps that were truly exceptional. So we started designing our own. Some people liked them and here we are today.
Thank You!
It is our goal to never forget where we started. If we ever forget the names of our best customers, we will know we have failed. I can recall the names of the first people who ever bought our products, back in 2016. And I remember the name of a person who, during the course of 2 years, bought every single product we make. I won’t share their name here, but he lives in Illinois, in the USA.
One of our best customers is from Germany. They own at least one of each of the straps we make. He knows our customer service legend, Shaan, by name, and she knows his. We have no intention of getting so large that we cannot give world-class customer service. Nor do we intend to grow so much that we forget the people’s names that helped us so much in the beginning.
Learn From Others
Recently, we purchased a few products from a very well known camera accessories brand during their Black Friday sale. They raised the price for this particular item so that it looked like we were getting a better deal on their goods than we were. When the sale ended the price went back down to the pre-Black Friday sale price, which was less than the price during the sale. I emailed them and did not hear back for a week. When I did hear back the response I received was, “I’m sorry for the issue you are having. Please allow us to look into it further.”
That is not the level of customer service we ever want to deliver. That did not solve the issue. All that did was tell us that the company was too busy to take our query seriously. If any of you reading this ever has an issue like this with one of our customer service people, you can message me directly. And I will personally deal with it: taylor at hawkesmill.com Sometimes messages get eaten by spam bots, sometimes we just miss things. But our goal is always to provide world-class customer service. The service that we would like to receive, but sadly, rarely get.
Right, mini-rant over. The point is, we know where we began. We know where we’re going. And we value every single piece of press that we get. Furthermore, we value every single person who has the confidence in us to buy one of our products.
Thank you!
Taylor
Co-Founder
Hawkesmill England
