Women's handbag, braided, dark blue

Keys and cell phone, wallet and the most important (ID) cards - this slim handbag has everything you need for your daily routine as well as for an evening out. The narrow strips of sheepskin, intricately woven in one piece from the back panel to the front flap, have slight color nuances, creating a lively surface that shimmers a little differently in every light. With its round woven strap that rests comfortably on the shoulder, the leather bag is originally worn crossbody, but thanks to its sophisticated design, it can be transformed into a purist and practical underarm bag: Inside, snap fasteners hold the shoulder strap in place. If these latches are unbuttoned and pulled forward through the respective slit in the side leather, they release the shoulder strap for removal, so that you have a classic clutch instead of a cross-body bag.

A concealed magnetic press stud under the flap keeps the handbag closed. The inside is lined with durable organic cotton twill, a leather-lined zipped compartment at the front and a slip pocket with six leather-lined card slots at the back keep even the smallest and flattest of your utensils in order.

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.