The talented lady behind Ilundi Designs, Safia Stodel, tells Handsome Things a bit more about her simple and beautiful range of leather goods. How did you get started? I was studying fine art and needed a bag for all my books and supplies. I couldn’t find any decently priced simple leather bags, so I tried to make my own. I didn’t have a sewing machine though, so after a lot of research I created a folding technique, which I used to make the bag with. No sewing required! This is how my signature sling bag came into being. Afterwards friends and family commissioned me to make them bags too – and it grew from there. Your favourite things:

• First parts of making a new product: dreaming, researching and sketching
• Grilled marinated artichokes and vanilla pod milkshakes
• Cats
• The way my daughter wakes us up in the morning with kisses. She’s 16 months old.
• The earthy smell of new rolls of leather in my studio

Where can we buy your bags? Ilundi bags and belts can be bought from Nap, Purr, Afraid of Mice, Mememe, Margot Molyneux’s clothing stall at the Biscuit Mill in Cape Town and very soon an exclusive range can be bought online from Presents in the Post. I also sell through my Facebook page. This blog post is courtesy of Hanneke Schutte, whose blog, Handsome Things, showcases the best of South African design. Read more at handsomethings.com.