Krakozja

Krakozja is a small leather workshop in Kraków. Its bags and backpacks are designed by Anna Miko and sewn in the workshop. Miko writes that her family ran a shoemaking workshop in Kraków for two generations. Her grandparents' firm faded as it failed to keep pace with changes in the economy. With a few friends and craftspeople from the trade she set out to recreate the family tradition under a new name and direction. The Krakozja collection of leather bags and backpacks grew out of that decision. The brand states that it has no wish to build a mass collection of the kind sold in shopping galleries. It sells instead through selected small online shops and showrooms in Kraków. It takes made-to-order commissions and alterations alongside its own designs. The team numbers six people, each a specialist in one stage of the work. The workshop describes carrying every piece from cutting to finish with the end result in view. The first designs were sewn in a vintage style. The range has since widened to elegant and casual models, with formal pieces added. Current pieces include the KR101 and KR102 backpacks, the KR207 women's bag and the KR109 men's bag, with dimensions listed on the site. A customer review published there measures the hide at 1.9 millimetres and notes an oxford lining with antique-gold hardware. Orders and enquiries go by email, and the workshop asks for patience because replies do not always come within a day.