About Seventyfour
The Studio
Seventyfour is an artisan leather studio with a design philosophy of simplicity. We are based on the East Coast of South Africa in the coastal town of East London.
Every Seventyfour creation is handcrafted and can take up to two days to make. The leather is cut by hand, every hole is punched by hand and every stitch hand sewn by means of saddle stitching and waxed thread.
We are proud to be a slow fashion brand and believe that by making better choices we can leave a healthier planet behind for future generations.
We love the ocean and all its creatures!
All of our bags are named after seafood species on the WWF Sassi list for endangered ocean species. We encourage people to make more sustainable choices and reduce the use of single use plastic.
Click below to download the SASSI pocket guide so that you can make informed decisions about the seafood that you eat.
Our bags and their names
Meet Adria, the maker
I have been obsessed with the ocean ever since I can remember. Growing up in South Africa, every summer my family would spend our holiday at the sea, where we would play in the water all day, get sunburnt, eat ice cream and picking up treasures from the beach to take back home with us. Every time we left the coast it felt like I was leaving a piece of myself behind.
Naturally, this obsession has found its way into my craft, deepening the underlying character of the brand, Seventyfour. In addition, my family heritage in the leather goods industry finds its way in every piece made. I still have a leather pump that my great-grandfather handcrafted for my mother when she was a child.
Today the same care that my great-grandfather used in every stitch is used in every Seventyfour product, we care about the impact we have on each other and the planet. Everything we make, we handcraft to last, leather that changes for the better with time.
The ocean is my happy place and our slogan “Freedom to be…” describes our customer’s unique style. Freedom to be happy, freedom to be brave or freedom to be unique. The freedom to whatever makes you happy.