Leather artist from Bronkhorstpruit learned the trade from his father
“The shade is just as important as the design. You need to find a shade that compliments the designs in your head.”
Local leather artist, Mr Lamine Diop, said his father instilled his love for the leather trade and for working with his hands.
He observes everything his father did.
“As a young boy, I admired my father for making leather bags from scratch. This ignited the fire inside me to continue in his footsteps.
Creating a good bag can be time-consuming, and so Mr Diop spends hours making handmade bags of all sizes, each with a unique original design.
“I find inspiration through remembrance. Just remembering what my father did and how he managed to sow his tastes onto the pattern makes my art more special. I have made hundreds of bags since I can remember.”
His favourite colour to work with is a tan shade, seeing that it is flattering and suits all occasions.
“The shade is just as important as the design. You need to find a shade that compliments the designs in your head.”
Mr Diop takes raw leather and brings out the essence of every bag individually without losing the natural rustic feel of it.
“I believe in keeping the leather real while enhancing its feature to suit the market.”
“I love working with soft leather because it doesn’t take much time sewing or even cutting the design” he added.
Since Mr Diop finds the design in his memories and from what inspired him, his design process isn’t just drawn on a piece of paper, but rather spread out on a table where he will cut the leather and visualise a 3D-illustration to decide beforehand how the end product will look.
“I would describe myself as a visionary who happens to be born with an inherited appreciation for leather. Not only in the way it looks, but in the earthly feel it creates and for the heritage it carries.”
Mr Diop believes leather is not just a hobby, but rather a seed that was watered by a man who gave him life.
