Besides the fact that a customised bag is one of a kind, Lor also noted that there are many who prefer a handcrafted product that’s not mass-produced. Sondermade’s bespoke service tailors an item to specific functional and aesthetic needs. “There are also customers who have their eye on an existing design but would like to change certain aspects about it,” said Lor.
It makes sense for Tocco Toscano to start an arm specialising in custom leather goods, since it already has decades of expertise in the business and the necessary setup. Most of the other leather crafters in Singapore, however, are independent small businesses that have been started by artisans who fell in love with the craft.
Shaun-Joel Liew, who began leather crafting as a hobby, is one of them. “When I was working at an interior design agency, I found myself drawn to making small items out of wood, using hand tools,” he said.
Liew then went on to explore crafting with leather. “I thought about making a leather accessory for my motorbike after learning how expensive it was to buy it. I gave it a go, picking up the basic leather-crafting techniques through YouTube tutorials and by asking strangers on the internet for advice – and succeeded. Transitioning from woodworking to leather craft felt very natural and brought back the familiar satisfaction of creating something from nothing, which I had missed,” he shared.
