Yağmur is studying environmental engineering at Bahçeşehir University. 8 years ago, while trying to prepare a sketchbook with her architect sister, Ezgi Çoban, they met leather. It was a tiny hobby back then, now called R&D. They established a boutique leather workshop in 2014 against ordinary, machines and the city life, which takes its inspiration from the north and where the value of personal and handcraft is fading into oblivion.

We talked to The North Fox, who was inspired by the north, about handicraft, design and leather;

How did a hobby suddenly turn into a business?

We really didn't understand either.

7-8 years ago, my sister, who was an architect, started the adventure of not liking the sketchbook. Everything started with "I'll do it for you" instead of the notebooks that were sold at exorbitant prices at that time.

My sister liked it, even while my sister was graduating, we prepared many notebooks in one night to be a souvenir for her close circle. At that time we were using nails to pierce the papers, my mother had been quite told by the voice that continued until the morning.

Then my boyfriend bought a computer, he couldn't find a case he was looking for. There were always cases made of artificial leather, of poor quality at a fair price, and he didn't like it. "I'll do it for you." I said again… Of course, as long as I said hobby back then, I now say R&D.

It was liked by our close circle throughout the process, our friends and their friends always wanted to order. Of course, we were having difficulties because we did not enter any sales process. Then the owner of a design store asked where I got my bag while I was walking around with the bag I made myself. The answer I did sounded very strange at the time. When we said there were offers, we made the job official in this way. Then we moved forward with the website and social media. We wanted to continue as a hobby, but we saw that it was a lot of work.

How nice, we also met beautiful designs and handicrafts… So why leather?

The feeling of working with leather is very nice. Its texture, its color… I think that if there was no leather in my life, it could have been wood. Leather is a material that gets better as it ages and ages with us, that is, a living material. The traces you can see on the surface of the skin, the wrinkles are the natural structure of the skin, the tonal differences in the color are the factors that prove its naturalness. The non-homogeneity feature does not affect the robustness and reliability of the product, as well as showing its natural beauty. You can see all the traces of nature on the skin, although meticulous attention is paid to it; It is impossible to prevent changes in its character, appearance and texture. You will understand a stubborn material.

What challenges do you face in the design business? Where do you get your inspiration from, for example, this might be the thing I'm most curious about... 

We take our inspiration from the north, and when leather is mentioned, most people think of mountains and nature. In other words, producing ax covers in city life does not suit me. That's why I try to produce products in more modern lines, suitable for city life. We have been trying the models for a long time in our own body in order to be compatible with the use, reliability, durability and leather. Of course, we are not re-discovering America, we are trying to reflect our own line in certain criteria. We put our fox ears on our products, like our own signature, which resembles the letter M in our logo, for example, since genuine leather is a quality and timeless material, it is called very expensive and luxurious. We, on the other hand, combined felt, which is considered cheap, with leather, to obtain a contrasting design. It was very popular, and besides its full leather products, it became an alternative product for those who could not afford it.

It is very difficult to design in Turkey, even the products of big brands are produced exactly in the world of Eminönü and Beyazıt. The tradesmen who play Ali Cengiz games can even argue that the fake product they produce is of higher quality. Funny but true.

Well; Nobody cares about your small world, nobody thinks about the effort you put into it, they just describe it as a good industry and think if it can sell, why can't I sell it, and they can make exactly the same product as yours. He thinks he can use something that already has a market. There are even people who cut it in machines and say it's handmade. All of a sudden, you come across people trying to market it.

I believe that the creative power is always in the designer, and the imitator will rot somewhere. As a result, I believe that no one like me can do the path and care I have taken. Unfortunately, there are immoral people who are unethical, who make exactly the product they see on your website, on your Instagram page, who ask you by e-mail from where you get their materials, or even order products from you and try to market it even at a high price.

Like I said, we're not rediscovering America, it's not a secret or an undetected situation. We also organize workshops where we explain our own products and show their production in detail, but it is the real skill and effort to advance this with your own design with your own inspiration. Unfortunately, some do not understand this.

Where will it go like this? Will you get bigger? What are your plans for this business? I have crazy questions like what is the goal you want to reach... 

I did not embark on a process that I would earn millions of dollars from this business. As I said, something that was a hobby has just turned into a job. I dream of a process where I transform workshops into a continuous one, where I can do collective work in my workshop, and where I develop product ranges.

The purpose of the brand; to create leather products that are stylish, simple and based on the uniqueness of handcraft, and also to design products suitable for daily use with the highest quality materials. In addition to computer and tablet cases, cable organizers, notebooks, wallets, camera straps, they also make custom-made designs with contrasting materials such as natural leather and felt. They are guests at many workshops and organize workshops.

Source: https://denemenlazim.net/