Cut, dyed, and stitched by hand.
Handcrafted By Luke is a one-man leather workshop, cutting, dyeing, and hand-stitching bags, belts, and small leather goods from a home workshop in South Africa. Every piece is cut from full-grain leather, hand-dyed for a finish that's never quite the same twice, and stitched by hand — no two pieces ever come out exactly identical. Some are ready to ship, some are made to order, and some are one-of-a-kind pieces that exist exactly once.
I didn't plan to become a leatherworker.
In 2022, I walked into PBloch — a family-run leather wholesaler that had been in town for over 20 years — looking for a strop to maintain my woodworking chisels. I didn't even know what a strop was called at the time. I just knew my edges needed help.
That same shop offered a free workshop on Friday mornings. It took me weeks to work up the courage to walk through the door. I'm not shy, but something about walking into a room of people who already knew what they were doing made me hesitate.
When I finally went, I was hooked within the first hour.
Not because it was easy — it wasn't. But because I saw how leatherwork connected to everything I already loved: woodwork, precision, patience, and the satisfaction of turning raw material into something useful and beautiful. The same skills that taught me to read grain in timber taught me to read hide. The same hands that cut dovetails learned to saddle stitch.
Over the next few weeks, I bought my first hand tools. Then more. Then better ones. And somewhere along the way, I realised that leatherwork wasn't just a side project — it was the thing that quieted my mind.
I spend my days surrounded by screens, notifications, and digital noise. But when I'm cutting leather, pulling thread, or burnishing an edge, I forget my phone exists. I don't check emails. I don't think about deadlines. I just work with my hands, one stitch at a time.
Every piece that leaves my bench carries the HBL mark — a brand I made by hand, stamped into every item I finish. It stands for Handcrafted By Luke, but it also stands for something harder to put into words: the quiet focus of a full day in the workshop, the weight of a well-made bag, and the pride of sending something real into the world.
Unfortunately since then PBloch is no longer trading. The building standing as a ghost of it's former self. Too difficult to drive past, and miss the available trove of information available on a Friday morning. And the comoradrie, the elevation of work by everyone involved. The reality is sad to accept.
I try and carry the torch forward, preserve the traditional methods I was taught over those Friday workshops. I still use hand tools for almost everything. And I still get the same feeling I did on that first Friday morning — like I've stumbled into something that was waiting for me all along.
If you're reading this, thank you for considering something made by my hands. I don't take that lightly.
— Luke
What I stand for
Every piece is cut from the hide and finished with a hand-applied dye that leaves its own mark on the surface.
Every piece is built with attention to detail and respect for traditional cutting and saddle-stitching methods.
Our pieces are designed for real-world daily carry, not just the display shelf.
Hand-dyeing means no two pieces ever come out exactly the same — and that's the point.
If you'd like to commission a piece, enquire about something available, or ask about leathers and dyes, the contact page is the best place to start. We reply to every message personally, usually within a day or two.