About Us

(Or can we really provide you what we promise!)

How established is your company?

emmatomes.co.uk is a new company, however the relationships behind it and the build up to its development have taken place over more than a year. Emma set up her partnership with Ark whilst living in Nairobi where she lived for several years. She came across the company as a small local business selling a limited range of goods and immediately realized that the style, scope and quality of the products on offer had a huge potential in the overseas market. Ark itself had been established for several years and was founded by an individual with a considerable previous experience in the industry - however he knew that he needed help to develop his market outside of Kenya - and therefore the business partnership was born.

But that's probably all you really want to know about us. We know that what you are really interested in is the product you are going to buy - so, if the questions and answers below don't give you the information you require, then please email us and we will answer your concerns and questions directly.

Can we talk to a human being rather than just e-mail you?

Yes, our phone number is 0845 619 9600.

Why are your products such good value?

There are lots of reasons for this, but the most important one is that we are not greedy! We have a great selection of suppliers, skilled craftsmen and excellent raw materials. Coupled with a genuinely fair business agreement, this means that we have a motivated and satisfied team who know what it means to be able to sell to a European market.

How are you so sure about maintaining the quality of your products?

We only use the best quality leather and cowhide to start the process. Following this start point we then mix in skilled craftsmanship, imported metalwork and zips and then put it all together with top-end sewing machines. Our quality control is assured by the experience of the Ark team and we ship everything directly to the UK. It's a thorough process that has been tried and tested - that's how! Please look at our Product Information page for more detail.

Are your cowhides and leather fully treated?

Completely. You won't get any strange odours from our bags! The leather is all treated professionally in a factory working to internationally accepted standards. More to the point, the cowhides are wonderfully soft and supple and you won't find yourself with hard and cracking leather. Please look at our Product Information page for more detail.

How good is the stitching?

All of our products are individually made with Juki sewing machines. These are all top of the range professional machines that provide us with the highest quality stitching and provide you with the assurance that your product has been made without any corners being cut. This part certainly won't let your products down. Please look at our Product Information page for more detail.

Will my product be let down by poor quality zips and buckles?

Absolutely not! We are fully aware that many of our competitors struggle to find the right quality metalwork and their products are let down by cheap and low quality plastic zips. We have decided that no mater how good the bags, it is the detail that makes the difference and so we have decided to import all of our metalwork from industry leaders in the USA and Switzerland. See for yourself! Please look at our Product Information page for more detail.

How much of what I spend goes back to Africa?

The answer to this is a huge amount. The profit from your purchases is directly split between Emma Tomes and Ark and therefore goes directly back into the local economy. We also full support charitable projects in Africa through our association with the Burnaby Blue Foundation and one pound of every purchase will go directly into the charity. For more detail on the projects we are involved in please follow the link below.

The Burnaby Blue Foundation