5 Cape Town-based bag brands creating quality items that last

Highlighting five local brands producing quality, trans-seasonal leather handbags made with love, using leather that is locally and ethically sourced:

1. Project Dyad

Cape Town-based Project Dyad was founded in 2016 by Vincent Urbain and Jessika Balzer. They specialise in the design and manufacturing of contemporary leather bags and accessories with a focus on an experimental, process-based approach.

All creations are hand-made in-house. Designs are made to last, functional and easy to incorporate into everyday life.

2. ILUNDI

This Cape Town-based brand offers a range of classic-styled leather bags and accessories. The design ethos is Scandinavian simplicity with an African flair. Each piece is hand-cut, hand-stitched and handwoven by a small team of women crafters, and inspired by everyday life and nature.

The design philosophy follows function and adds some fun.

3. ROWDY

This Cape Town-based leather bag company was established in 2012 to provide affordable leather rucksacks to local students. ROWDY’s mission has since evolved to make a refined range of practically designed and quality leather bags that encourage thoughtful consumption while empowering machinists.

Their designs are influenced by minimalist aesthetic principles to create investment pieces to withstand the test of trends and time.

4. Jekyll and Hide

This lifestyle brand merges original craftsmanship and attention to detail with fresh styling and a modern attitude – creating timeless pieces. Launched in Cape Town in 2002, Jekyll & Hide has been creating pieces that blend function and design – combining classic styling with modern demands, inspired by trends, travels, and functional requirements.

5. Mazee

Sisters Marissa (Maz) and Zandri (Zee) combine fashion design and graphic design to create accessories. Through innovation, they focus on never-seen-before concepts; showcasing South Africa’s manufacturing capability.

Offering stylish handbags that showcase excellent craftsmanship done by skilled South African artisans by making use of unique detailing and exquisite materials and trims. Customers can even ‘flip’ their handbags to change the colour for day to night wear or as the occasion arises without having to swap their handbags around.

Now whether you’re looking for a small, versatile bag that’s contemporary but still timeless or a handbag with a bit of an outrageous statement, these brands have it all under one roof for you in Cape Town.

Spoil yourself or get a loved one an authentic and luxury leather handbag and more as a gift to genuinely last you or them a lifetime.