Knotted ladies' handbag, light gray

The understated chic of this women's handbag makes it ideal for both everyday and festive occasions. The eye-catcher is the open-worked surface, created using an artful combination of knotting and braiding techniques, which lends the bag a visual lightness. Despite all its openness, the carrying capacity of the sheepskin remains unbroken, of course. For a stroll through town or a soirée, the bag can hold the important items in your life, including your cell phone and e-book reader. And with its twelve centimeter deep base, it not only proves spaciousness, but also stability. Its contents are discreetly secured by two magnetic fasteners concealed under the flap. The inside of the bag is lined with a sand-colored twill fabric made from organic cotton and is divided by a zipped compartment, while a leather-lined zipped compartment at the back and two smaller slip pockets on the front inside wall keep everything in order and ready to hand. Last but not least, the braided shoulder strap is long enough to carry the handbag crossbody, leaving your hands free for coffee, cocktails or canapés.

Belgian label Allan K is considered a specialist in bags and shoes made of hand-braided leather. Founder Alain Kadic sums up the passion for his company and the products in one sentence: "Braided leather is in my DNA." No wonder, since the company's genesis dates back to the 1960s, when his father Ivan Kadic, an engineer with an inventive spirit, developed a spiral cutter capable of cutting a narrow strip hundreds of feet long from a leather hide. Many of his inventions, including an automatic leather weaving machine, soon find their way around the world.

In the 1980s, Alain Kadic, now an engineer himself, followed in his father's footsteps and traced the machines to India. Here, the craft of leather weaving has a long tradition. After working with various leather weaving companies for several years, he finally founded the Allan K brand in 2012 and from then on had his designs manufactured in Madras. The timeless-classic shoes and bags made of woven and braided leather are handmade there, which can take up to five days depending on the model. The leather for them is still cut on the machines that his father developed at the time.