“I
couldn’t live with a bag if I didn’t do everything I can to make it perfect,” says Kika Vliegenthart, founder of Kika NY, a bespoke leather studio based in Santa Catalina that produces handcrafted bags, backpacks, sandals and accessories. Born in The Netherlands, Kika studied documentary filmmaking and was living and working in New York City in the early 2000s, when she happened by a tiny leather workshop in the East Village. It was the workshop of Barbara Shaum, a legendary leathersmith who opened her workshop in 1962, and was very well known by fashion insiders, including doing regular collaborations with leading brands including Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.
It is fascinating how for many artists, a material truly speaks to them, and in Kika’s case, it was leather. After passing by the workshop several times, she went in and asked Shaum if she could do an apprenticeship. Shaum said no and Kika was quickly shown the door, but she was determined, and after sitting herself on a stool and watching for hours, Shaum relented. “It was so calm and meditative,” Kika notes of the tiny studio where people were quietly immersed in creating beautiful objects. Her apprenticeship would last for fifteen-years. It was a rigorous experience, as Shaum did not like socializing in the workshop and apprentices were meant to stay focused on the craft at hand. It changed Kika’s life.
