meet the maker.

3 min read

I wanted to introduce myself and tell you the story behind Lagom Leather.

My name is Karin and I am the creative hands behind Lagom Leather. I’m kind of from all over the place. I was born in South Africa and have lived in Zambia, the UK, Sweden and as of last year, Spokane, WA (USA)! Growing up I was never really that creative - that was my sister’s thing and I was more academic. I went to university in Cornwall (UK) to get my master’s degree in Environmental Science. Once I had graduated, all my time was dedicated to the visa process of trying to get to the US to get married to my (now) husband. When I first moved here I had to wait 8 months to get permission to work in the US. On top of that, COVID had just hit so I spent a whole lot of time at home! Which was tough at the time but a huge blessing in disguise because that’s how Lagom Leather was born!

My husband had some scrap leather lying around and we’d just bought a new puppy who I wanted to make a collar for. That collar started it all and after that I just ran with it and made whatever came to mind - a leash, a wallet, a laptop case, a notebook cover, coasters and so much more. I spent all my time learning from YouTube and self teaching through lots of trial and error. I finally gained enough confidence to make a bag. I loved the process and bags became ‘my thing’.

More and more family and friends (and even some strangers) were asking if they could buy things from me so I came up with the name Lagom Leather and had a logo made to make my mark on my products.

When I learned about regenerative leather I set out on a mission to get my hands on some. I began dreaming about creating a business that advocated for regenerative agriculture while creating beautiful bags. But it was just a dream and didn’t seem realistic. When it came time to start looking for a job I couldn’t shake this desire to combine my background in environmental science with my leather craft. My husband gave me the push I needed to go for it and that’s why I’m here today - doing something I’m truly passionate about. For that I am beyond grateful.

Look out for my next blog post about the meaning behind the name Lagom Leather!