A studio the size of a workbench.

Chimpel is a design and production studio in Cape Town. Everything carrying the name is made here — patterns drawn, hides selected, edges burnished, linings set. Nothing leaves until it has been handled by the person who designed it.

The house works mainly in specialist leathers. Ostrich shin and quill for structure and pattern, crocodile belly for the pieces meant to outlive a wardrobe, lambskin where softness matters more than architecture, and full-grain cowhide for belts and everyday carry.

Because hides differ, so do the pieces. Grain, quill spacing and tone vary between two bags of the same design; this is a property of the material, not a fault. Some skins are regulated under CITES and can only be delivered locally — where that applies, the clause appears on the product page itself.

Production runs are small and often made to order. If a piece is on back-order, the studio will say so plainly rather than quietly hold your money.