Klaus Goods Giordi slim wallet, Crawford envelope purse and Wenders eyeglasses case. Photo - Sean Fennessy. Styling - Nat Turnbull for The Design Files.

Klaus Goods Wenders eyeglasses case, Giordi slim wallet and Camus flip wallet. Photo - Sean Fennessy. Styling - Nat Turnbull for The Design Files.

Today marks a milestone in my short history of running a business and being incredibly bad at delegating.  You see, I recently went on a 3 week holiday (*honeymoon) and during that time, I left 90% of the day to day running of The Design Files in the very capable hands of others.  There were even a few (small) studio photoshoots scheduled to occur whilst I was away.  Naturally, that was a bit of a freak out.    BUT HAVE A LOOK at the brilliance which can happen when you're in Paris, with not a care in the world, and your clever hardworking staff get an opportunity to shine!  Today's simple but super slick photoshoot was produced by our amazing Editorial Co-ordinator Lisa Marie Corso, styled (solo!) by our Styling and Studio Assistant Natalie Turnbull, and shot by our longest serving photographer Sean Fennessy.  God damn. I might have to take a holiday more often.

OK thanks for your patience there, on to the actual STORY.

I am seriously loving these sleek handcrafted leather accessories by local label Klaus Goods, which I recently stumbled across at the debut Menske event in Melbourne a couple of months ago! Designed and made locally by 25 year old Jennifer Kulas, the brand offers a range of wallets, cases and pouches in various finishes - we really love the metallics.  Additionally, Jennifer offers a person monogramming service using either gold and silver foil finishes, or just plain embossing.

The kernel idea for Klaus Goods came for Jennifer during a trip to India in late 2011, after she had just finished an Arts degree The University of Melbourne. 'I met so many amazing craftspeople, and was particularly captivated by the leather goods, which inspired me to start learning about hand stitching' she says.  After over a year of trial and error (and another trip, this time to Japan, where Jennifer sourced some amazing leather working tools),  Klaus Goods was launched in October 2012.

There are several processes involved in the construction of Klaus Goods' leather accessories, all of which Jennifer currently carries out by hand.  Each pattern is cut using a clicking press and custom knives that are made in Melbourne ('they basically look like huge cookie cutters that stamp out each piece' explains Jennifer). If a piece is to be individually monogrammed, Jennifer does this by hand before stitching each item. She then marks out and hand punches each stitching hole (this is where the great Japanese leather tools come in!). Taking Irish waxed linen thread, the piece is then sewn with a saddle stitch, which requires a needle in each hand and results in an incredibly strong finish. After that, the leather is conditioned with Australian bee’s wax, and hand burnished so that the edges are glossy and smooth.

With its clean and minimalist aesthetic, Jennifer's range of leather goods is versatile and timeless.  'I aim to design and create objects that exist outside of the faddish nature of fashion' she says. 'Most of the pieces are unisex and my clientele is pretty much equally male and female, which I really like.  My biggest hope is that the pieces I make are used regularly, adding an element of beauty to everyday life'.

Klaus Goods products can be purchased online here.

Klaus Goods Crawford envelope purse. Photo - Sean Fennessy. Styling - Nat Turnbull for The Design Files.

Klaus Goods Crawford envelope purse, Wenders eyeglasses case and Camus flip wallet. Photo - Sean Fennessy. Styling - Nat Turnbull for The Design Files.