“I’ve always loved leather,” shares Katja Handt as she shows us around her Port Kembla workshop. “I grew up with horses and always loved the smell of leather.”
This fondness lay dormant for years as the German-born maker grew up to study dressmaking, then pursued a degree in theatre design at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins. 
Katja moved to Australia in 2002 to work in costume design for films and theatre, eventually re-encountering leather while making armour for a film. Her passion reignited, she initially made leather bags for friends, then took the opportunity presented by Covid to truly hone her craftsmanship. Now, she has turned her passion into an atelier, Kattasche, through which she crafts ready-to-wear and bespoke luxury leather handbag.
The landscapes of the Illawarra region, where Katja lives, inspire the brilliant colours of her pieces. “It’s the colour of the ocean. It's the blues and greens of the bush and the rainforests … and the ochres and the reds and oranges that I really love.”
Katja goes to great lengths to source leathers of depth and dimension, opting for vegetable-dyed leathers over chrome-tanned for how they look as they age. Originally determined to only use Australian leathers, in practice this proved difficult. She looked abroad for tanneries that would help bring her singular designs to life.
The pieces are mainly crafted from bovine leather, but kangaroo, fish and pig split (the soft inner layer of pig’s hide) also figure into her designs.
Even cane toad leather makes the cut for feature straps, while the fibres of the underside of horse hide picks up different intensities of pigment when it’s drum-dyed, creating unique patinas. “It’s like a landscape in leather.”
Every bag is meticulously hand-stitched by Katja using beeswaxed linen. She prefers saddle stitches, which involve using two needles on one thread to create interlocking stitches. A machine stitch will unravel if you pull it; a saddle stitch retains its hold. “If the customer can afford it, you should honour the material by hand stitching it.” 
As Katja makes everything by hand herself, she has the scope to take on bespoke commissions and build clients' dream bags from scratch. Some arrive with a design in mind, others come with clear specifications for how they need their bag to suit their life. “I had one customer who came to me and put two EpiPens, two pairs of glasses, a book and a water bottle on the table, and a pair of keys, and said, ‘That’s what needs to go in my bag every day. And I want it to be green on the outside and pink on the inside.’”
A collaboration with Kattasche signals a fresh new chapter for Courtesy of the Artist. Over the next 12 months, Katja will create quarterly collections of bags inspired by the colours of Australian gemstones. The first launches at The Strand Arcade on March 29 and is inspired by the brilliant blue of Courtesy of the Artist’s signature sapphires. They’re crafted in Katja’s signature shapes, including a pochette and saddle bag. “I absolutely fell in love with Nina’s sapphires,” Katja says.
Ultimately, Katja’s pieces are built to last, whether they are bespoke or one of her signature styles. “[These] bags are not just ornamental, they can be worn and they can be aged. You don’t need to worry if you bang it, [or] get a little smudge on it. It’s living with you and aging with you.”  

Words by Che-Marie Trigg
Photography by Kim Low & Frances Mocnik
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The first Kattasche with Courtesy of the Artist will launch on Saturday 29 March 2025 1-3pm.
Join us for the launch event and be the first to view Katja's stunning creations. 
Please RSVP your attendance here.