Simon Dubouloz

Saddler

The ride of your life

Simon creates bespoke seats for motorbikes
He works for many different world championships
His seats are ergonomic, stylish and original

GP mechanic and saddler Simon Dubouloz is recognised for his skill by many professional motorbike riders and private customers. His fascination for leather started early in his life thanks to his mother, who is a bag maker and who taught him all the tricks of the trade. His passion for motorbikes, instead, began when he got his first one at the age of 14. “I started to disassemble it and step by step I just ended up loving it,” he recalls. He managed to merge his two interests achieving a diploma as a racing mechanic and one as a leather artisan. “I started to make seats for my connections in the motorcycle world, until I decided to set up my own business in 2016. Today I work in the world championship as a mechanic and I also create my seats for top racers like Valentino Rossi.”

Interview

How do you set about making your seats?: I create the volumes for all my seats first with paper to get the shape and then with leather or neoprene. I never let a seat leave my workshop without pushing the details at their maximum. People don’t realise how many hours I can spend on details to make a seat just perfect.
What are your sources of inspiration?: Everything I see is inspiring. In particular, I love playing with colours. I have my own style, which I express in dynamic seats in each of which you can feel there is always a new challenge with my technique. I fight with the material every day to be close to what I call the “zero default”.
What do you love most about your profession?: I love to wake up in the morning with butterflies in my stomach. I just love my job and I love to think about how I will manage my volumes etc. I am a seat maker because I love motorbikes, but I could create anything else.
What advice would you give to a young artisan?: You have to believe in your dreams, and always work with excitement and motivation. Don’t listen to other people around you because they have different opinions and hobbies. Follow your own way and always think that what you want is possible.

Simon Dubouloz is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2015