My father, Igor Germanavitch Askaroff, was a keen collector, and from a young age he instilled in me the principles of Protect & Preserve.

With coins, stamps and most collectable objects, originality matters. Vintage sewing machines are no different. Their patina, wear, marks, shades and signs of use are part of their story. They are the fingerprints of a life already lived.

But preserving originality does not mean leaving a machine dirty, neglected or mechanically compromised.

Many of the machines we work on are approaching, or have already passed, a century in age. Over those decades, old oil, lint, dust, grease and debris can build up deep inside the mechanism, in places that cannot simply be wiped over from the outside.

Where necessary, we carefully strip machines down so that these hidden areas can be properly cleaned, serviced, lubricated and adjusted. We want every machine to operate as smoothly, reliably and beautifully as possible.

The important distinction is how that work is carried out.

We do not restore machines with the aim of making them look newly manufactured. We do not polish away decades of history, remove original finishes unnecessarily, or chase a bright and shiny appearance at the expense of authenticity.

Instead, we go thoroughly into the parts of the machine that need attention while being as gentle as possible with the parts that tell its story.

Our aim is always to bring a machine back to its best working condition while retaining as much of its original character, patina, history and individuality as possible.

A fine vintage sewing machine should not look as though it was made yesterday. It should look like a beautifully cared-for piece of working history – clean, mechanically sound, stitch-perfect and unmistakably original.

With every machine we offer, that is our pledge.

We will clean what needs to be cleaned.
We will service what needs to be serviced.
We will repair what needs to be repaired.
But we will never knowingly erase the history that makes each machine unique.

We will Protect & Preserve.

— Alex Askaroff