Kattasche

Kattasche is a small leather atelier on Dharawal Country, in the Illawarra region of the South Coast of NSW. Designer and leathercraftswoman Katja Handt creates objects that feel grounded, purposeful, and connected to place. Each piece is an invitation to slow down, to appreciate the traces of the hand, and to carry something built with intention. Her practice is shaped by more than twenty-five years working across the performing and visual arts as a designer and maker. In 2020, Katja focused on leather as a main working material and, with a grant from Create NSW, she upskilled in traditional French leather craft and transitioned to a dedicated studio practice.

Kattasche grew from a desire to create pieces that honour slow craft and resist the culture of disposability. A bag is not simply a functional object; it is a companion, a container of personal history, and a small architecture designed around the rhythm of a body. Landscape and architecture are central to Katja’s design language. She gravitates toward bold, confident silhouettes paired with meticulous hand finishing, exploring the tension between softness and structure, refinement and rawness. Sustainability underpins her practice.

In 2025 Kattasche teamed up with Australian owned and managed Buckaroo Leatherworks as part of a new upcycling initiative which has informed a new range of bags with more sculptural works to come. Longevity is a guiding principle—Katja’s pieces are designed to be repaired, not replaced. She has been a regular stockholder at Handmade Canberra, and selected works are stocked at the Australian Design Centre and Courtesy of the Artist in Sydney’s Strand Arcade. These partnerships affirm her commitment to maintaining high standards of craftsmanship and design, and to contributing to Australia’s contemporary craft landscape.

Kattasche is the culmination of a lifelong engagement with making—an intersection of discipline, imagination, and deep respect for materials.