St Reign
St Reign produces minimalist leather bags to order or in small batches that merge craft and design. Each bag is cut, made and finished by founder Samkelisiwe Mhlongo-Setshedi. By using age-old leather crafting techniques, such as saddle stitch, she hopes to keep these traditions alive. The brand primarily produces custom orders to reduce deadstock and waste and promote a slow fashion system through its social media channels.
Features
Resources and materials
- Uses leather sourced from Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria
- Most designs use vegetable-tanned leather
Making and manufacturing
- Every bag is made by St Reign’s founder at her home studio
- The process uses little energy, only needing an electric multi-tool at the refinement stage
Social and cultural
- Collaborates with small businesses and creatives for various projects
Product and design
- Pieces are trendless and trans-seasonal
- Bags are made-to-order
- Occasionally produces small batches for retail opportunities such as pop-ups or markets
- Some items are multi-purpose
- Uses newspaper to make pattern pieces
- All scraps are reused to create one-off pieces
Packaging and distribution
- Plastic-free packaging
- Compostable brown paper and paper tags are used to package orders
- Orders are sent out every one to two weeks to reduce the impact of transport
2022 Nominee: Accessory Award
Address
14 Khotho Mkhunya Rd, Amanzimtoti, Durban, 4126, South Africa