The story of how BAGS & PIECES came about
The passion for high-quality leather accessories
Fashion and luxury handbags have fascinated me since I was a teenager. When I was at school, I used to gaze at the latest bags from luxury labels in magazines and shop windows and knew that I wanted one of those one day.
At the same time, I've always been a bit of a saver - 3,000 euros for a handbag is quite a lot. During school and university, such a purchase was out of the question, but then I said to myself: when I get my first full-time job, I'll put some money aside every month for a year and then treat myself to my dream bag.
After that year, it wasn't the absolute luxury model, but a bag for 400 euros - I just couldn't bring myself to give up a three-week vacation in Australia for it!
I still like and enjoy using my bag today. But what struck me right from the start, despite all my love for my beautiful bag, was that it basically "only" consists of four different pattern pieces - so it's not particularly complex. As I've always loved sewing and drawing, I thought to myself: "Maybe I can do that too!"
... and then the journey began!
I read up on leather crafts, leather sewing, cutting, gluing and edge finishing. I ordered tools, bought leather, looked for metal details and tried things out. Eternal hours and many YouTube tutorials later, I held a finished handbag in my hands. Anything but perfect, but: a homemade leather handbag.
What I have noticed in particular during this time: Information on how to expand your own knowledge is rare. There are also hardly any instructions for beautiful leather bags. The pieces that you can make with the tutorials that are available are not very feminine and have little in common with the designs of great luxury brands.
Like any craft, traditional leatherwork is not something that everyone can do, and for good reason. For a short time, I even thought about doing an apprenticeship. However, in my adopted home of Munich and in the surrounding area, there hasn't been a single company that has trained fine bag makers in the last three years. This fact surprised me so much and I thought it was such a shame that such an admirable profession was almost dying out! I wanted to do my bit to ensure that this type of handicraft is appreciated again and that everyone, whether DIY-savvy or not, can try their hand at it.
The idea for BAGS & PIECES was born
My aim with the DIY boxes: To introduce interested people to leather craftsmanship in a way that doesn't require huge investments in tools and materials, is easy to implement and is fun.
In my opinion, the result should always be a sense of achievement and a high-quality finish. Homemade is fabulous - but if the bag looks too DIY, it's not a fashion statement.
It took almost a year from the idea to the prototype of the DIY boxes from BAGS & PIECES, including many setbacks, various rescheduling and several visits to trade fairs and suppliers in Italy.
My biggest challenges were first and foremost assembling the required material in small quantities for a handbag, finding affordable tools and preparing the leather so that no more machines are needed for finishing at home.
The accessories
When it comes to leather accessories from BAGS & PIECES, I attach great importance to design that is both timeless and stylish. If you invest your heart and soul and time, I think you should end up with something that won't be out of date after one season. In other words, an accessory that you will be proud to use for many years.
The workmanship and durability play an important role alongside the look. Our DIY boxes contain everything you need to make your own leather accessories - materials, tools and step-by-step instructions.
In the end, you'll have a stylish, unique piece in your hands that you can say with confidence: "I made this myself".
I hope you enjoy the boxes as much as I do - and wish you lots of fun getting creative and then making your BAGS & PIECES leather accessories!
If you like, you can share your own unique piece with me on Instagram and link it with #bagsandpieces. I look forward to every new post like a little kid on her birthday - and I don't think that will ever change.
