The Story Behind the Deer Natasha Shoulder Tote Bag

Back in November, I was visiting a leather market. This is one of my favorite things to do, and I completely lose track of time while I’m there. You know like little kids whose parents take them to a playground? That’s how I am. I don’t want to leave. I come early and stay until late. Seeing all the textures, studying the grain, and talking with the people who actually tan and produce the leather - I love all of it. I always learn something new, and I almost always leave with more ideas than I came with. That day was no exception.

While walking through, one of the shops caught my attention. They had a bunch of animal-patterned leather. I was really curious because for some time I had been thinking about making a bag in this look, but I never quite made the move. I was looking around for a bit, and then something struck me. Oh my god. This deer pattern...

I wasn’t even standing close when I noticed it, but to say I was struck would be an understatement. I started walking toward it, and the more I saw, the more I loved it. I’ve seen deer patterned leather before, but this one was different... The spots didn't look fake and oddly even like in some prints I've seen. It had imperfections, natural markings in the hair that made everything kind of flow beautifully. We started discussing with the tannery owners. They were amused by how taken aback I was and told me more about their tannery, and how they specialize in Australian leather with hair-on cowhide. They use special techniques where they work with the leather while the hair is still on (often called pony hair), and then apply finishing processes to create the animal patterns. I was carrying my Natasha Mocha with me, and I just kind of knew… This was going to be the bag I’d make in this leather.

Once the idea formed, the next challenge began. Not every beautiful material automatically turns into a good product. A bag needs balance - shape, structure, materials, hardware, color. The leather itself was visually strong, which meant the rest of the design needed to complement it without competing. We tested different combinations: different leathers, different tones, different trims. At first, I had the idea of pairing it with a bright color, something that would match the spots, like a clean cream.

We started working on the samples. I’ll admit… the combination with cream looked better in my head than it did in reality. I knew we had to change that, but I also had to test everything else. I fully used and abused it - I traveled with it and overloaded it just to see what would hold and what wouldn’t (yes, I do this with every bag we make). Luckily, by now we’ve worked with the Natasha design enough to understand how everything functions - the padlock, padded compartment, feet, the shoulder handle, all of it. So the main question was to test how all of this would work with a completely different kind of leather, the hair-on type. 

It took about three months of testing, then it was time to make the final adjustments. And she came out… Gorgeously. The moment we posted her, she got your attention, and we sold out the first preorders in less than a week!

And here we are, ready to bring these to life for you, with the same precision and care we put into every bag we craft. Made to be loved and worn for years to come.