Upcycling of Old Leather

Most children's folk pants are transformed to shoulder / handbags. Most colors have gone through my hands already; gray, brown, beige, black, red, green, blue, turquoise, orange, etc. Then I look for a solid fabric that fits well with the color of the leather, I stabilize this fabric with artificial leather (remnants from the car upholstery industry), and this forms the frame of the bag and is at the same time waterproof. A cheerful lining is also selected, and must provide a surprise element when opening the bag. Then the Lederhosen come into action, the frame is covered as much as possible with its leather; I call this "my puzzling". At the same time, I must take the closure and the handles into account; I'm always happy when the original braces of the pants are still present, otherwise I have to find an alternative. The size of the pants front fly usually determines the size of the bag. I make 3 sizes: Small ("Fridl"), Medium ("Seppl") and Large ("Gustl"). Click here for the relevant catalog page.

Most of the folk leather jackets and leather waistcoats, as well as the adult men's Lederhosen or women's leather skirts, are transformed into backpacks. These leather clothes are often gray or brown, but also come in nice colors such as red, green, blue, beige or a mix of those. These backpacks require large pieces of leather, so I first have to sew the good pieces of leather together into flat and pretty parts. Then they are reinforced and interlined. At the same time, I have to take the zippers and the handles into account before I start sewing. I make 3 sizes: Small ("Fesl"), Medium ("Friedl") and Large ("Franzl"). The leather jackets and men's Lederhosen are mostly used for Franzl backpacks, and the waistcoats for the Friedl and Fesl backpacks. Click here for the relevant catalog page.

My third type of leather bag is a toiletry bag, made from the very large German hunting jackets. This is really thick leather, which stays nicely in shape, and I line them with waterproof rainwear fabric. One size ("Heinrich"). Click here for the relevant catalog page.

All plain leather things, such as leather jackets or leather skirts, become shoulder bags with or without decorations. Minimalistic rectangular bags for men and women, which can be worn around the shoulder or also as a messenger bag. They always close with a large zipper. These bags come in two sizes: Medium ("Hans") and Large ("Klaus"). Click here for the relevant catalog page.

I also use leather in combination with waterproof waxed awnings. Large remnants of leather furniture, but also of plain long leather pants or leather skirts, form a stable bottom for the awning bags, and also some more decoration. I make 2 sizes from the awning bags: Small ("Karin"), a small shoulder bag, and Large ("Ella"), a large hand and shoulder bag. Click here for the relevant catalog page.