Ayla

Name: Ayla
Address: Strand, ZA
Telephone: +27834133302

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Traditional leather crafting methods and contemporary design is used to create leather items that are timeless and durable.

Ayla originals are hand crafted from beginning to end with love and passion for the product and the craft.

18/10/2026

From my window… 🌿
Chaos. 😂
Sometimes I think my head looks a lot like my pattern cupboard. (See picture for clarity!)
A hundred thoughts, ideas and things I need to do, all perceivably needing attention immediately. Then the overwhelm creeps in, followed by that familiar anxiety. That's my little devil.
And then there's Ayla.
When I'm working with my hands, something shifts. I become completely absorbed in what I'm doing. One project, one piece of leather, one problem to solve. I can get so engrossed that the rest of the world fades into the background. Sometimes I become a little too obsessed with getting something just right, but that's a story for another day. 😂
Ayla quiets the chaos.
It's my creative outlet, my happy place, my way of finding a little stillness when my mind gets too noisy. It's where all those thoughts can take a back seat while my hands do what they love.
Ayla was never just a job I started. It's become so much more than that. It's a part of me, and perhaps one of the reasons I keep going, even on the days when my head feels like that cupboard.
❤️

15/10/2026

What a brilliant idea for wedding favours! 🤎 Personalised leather keyrings that are practical, timeless and a beautiful keepsake of a special day. 💍
Julie Ann & Adrian, may your life together be filled with endless love, laughter and beautiful memories. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness! ❤️
With love,
Ayla Leather

13/10/2026

🌍 Ayla travels way more than I do! 🤣 Well, at least one of us gets to see the world!
A customer sent me a picture of a pattern she wanted on a belt that would soon be making its way to Germany. 🇩🇪
A hand-dyed tan leather belt, decorated with hand-painted geckos and tribal-inspired pattern. Earthy colours, little details, and a whole lot of patience went into bringing this one to life.
I spent the weekend painting geckos while Shaun discovered the rare joy of uninterrupted sport on the telly. 😂
Fun was had by all in our house!
And now a little piece of Ayla Leather is off to see the world. ❤️

Handmade in Strand, Western Caper, South Africa. Made with intention, destined for adventure.

08/10/2026

🤎 Apparently, there really is a pouch for everything…
An air traffic controller’s stamp pouch, designed to slip neatly onto a belt and keep that trusty little stamp exactly where it needs to be.
Because apparently, if you have a thing that needs carrying… Ayla can make a pouch for it. 😄
Hand-cut, hand-stitched and made specifically for its purpose — because at Ayla, I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all.
You dream it. I figure it out. I make it.
And yes… I’m now wondering what the next “Can you make me a pouch for this?” is going to be. 😂🤎

04/10/2026

Through my window… ❤️
Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday, and I’m feeling incredibly grateful that I get to fetch her from the old age home for a sleepover and spend her birthday with her.
Our relationship has always been complicated. From the age of 18, we lived far apart and saw each other only once or twice a year. I think for a long time, she only knew the little girl I had been.
Then, when I was 48, life brought us close again — literally around the corner.
And somewhere along the way, we started getting to know each other again. Not just as mother and daughter, but as two women who have lived, made mistakes, learned and grown.
We talk about the past now — hers, mine and ours. And I’ve come to realise that parents are simply human too. They do the best they can with what they know and what life has given them.
Beneath my mother’s seemingly tough exterior is one of the biggest, most giving hearts I know.
If I could choose my mother, I would choose her.
Over and over again. ❤️
I’m so grateful that life gave us the chance to find each other again. And tomorrow, I get to spend her birthday with her. ❤️

01/10/2026

I received a VERY thorough email with exact specifications for this portfolio — actually better than my own cutting lists when I design! 😂
I wasn't quite sure whether to be excited or afraid… but I was definitely intimidated.
The portfolio needed to be very specific: a pencil case, pen slips, a sleeve for a laser pointer, and a slide-in sleeve for his favourite notebook. Every detail had been thought through.
And then, somewhere near the end of that very detailed email, I came across one little request…
And my heart melted. ❤️
It was so beautiful. So romantic. And so personal that, at that moment, I was completely sold on this project.
This wasn't just a portfolio.
It was a little love story, hidden in the zipper tags — made for an Italian scientist who fell in love with a South African doctor. 🇮🇹❤️🇿🇦
Every stitch, every pocket and every little detail was made with their story in mind.
And then they came to collect it…
Oh, my heart. 🥹
They were beautiful. Humble. Warm. And so completely, spontaneously in love with each other.
The kind of love you don't have to explain. You can feel it.
Yip… goosebumps. ❤️
And once again, I'm reminded that sometimes the most special things that leave my workshop aren't simply things I've made with my hands.
They're little pieces of people's stories.

29/09/2026

With Love from
AYLA❤️

24/09/2026

❤️ Some people leave a little piece of themselves behind…
An amazing old gentleman walked into my workshop and, in the gentlest voice, asked if I could replace the worn, withered strap on his watch.
He had the tiniest, kindest eyes behind black-rimmed glasses and the gentlest smile. There was something about him that immediately reminded me of my Oupa. Then I noticed the washed-out navy windbreaker, just like my Oupa used to wear, and my heart just melted. He was distinguished in the most humble way.
I wanted to make him a beautiful strap — the kind of strap I would have loved to make for my Oupa.
So I chose vegetable-tanned leather, hand-dyed it a deep, rich brown and added the little rivet details. Every part was made with a little extra love.
When he came back to collect it, he shakily put it onto his wrist. And as I watched that old, cracked watch settle back onto his arm, I saw my Oupa’s hardworking hands again.
Then he gave me the most beautiful, grateful smile.
And just like that, this wasn’t just another leather project. ❤️
Some pieces leave the workshop carrying a little more meaning than others.

22/09/2026

What’s happening in the workshop ❤️
This weekend, I managed to have Shaun all to myself - off the golf course and into the workshop… voluntarily, I might add! 😂
I roped him into a little DIY project that has been on tge backburner for ages.
A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do… especially when the woman he loves has a leather project and a very determined look in her eye. 🤣❤️
There was leather, glue, nails, endless measurements, there was weaving, there was concentration… and I’m pretty sure there may have been a few “Michelle, are you sure this is going to work?” moments along the way. 😂
There’s something really special about doing things like this together. It’s not about everything being perfect or getting it done quickly. It’s about the time spent together, the laughs, the teamwork and creating something with our own hands.
And I have to admit… Shaun you did a pretty good job! ❤️
Hopefully this weekend we’ll get the leather weave headboard mounted onto the wall — and then I’ll definitely be showing it off! 😜

These little moments are memories I treasure most. ❤️

20/09/2026

From my window…
Every Sunday my little window seems to give me something to think about. Today it left me feeling both emotional and, if I'm honest, a little ashamed to be human.
I'm insanely inquisitive, so when I heard something outside this morning, naturally my head popped out the window. 😂
There are two fishermen I often see here. I presume they're father and son, and they have the sweetest little dog. They park their very old, battered car outside our building and walk towards the beach with their fishing rods.
Their car is packed with what looks like bedding and clothes. I've often wondered if they sleep in it somewhere. I don't know their story.
But I've never seen them bother anyone. Their little dog's tail is always wagging, he's healthy and happy, and they seem to simply be living their lives as best they can.
This morning, someone from our building threw stones onto their car.
The son looked up and started shouting back, defending them and their right to be there. His father and their little dog were still inside.
I stood at my window watching, and it made me incredibly sad.
Because when did we become so good at judging people by what they own instead of who they are?
A battered car doesn't tell me whether someone is kind.
Old clothes don't tell me whether someone has a good heart.
Having less doesn't make someone worth less.
Maybe these two men are simply doing what they can. Maybe they fish because they love it. Maybe they're trying to put food on the table. Maybe they're just getting through life the best way they know how.
And isn't that worthy of a little dignity?
We don't know another person's story. So perhaps kindness should come before judgement.
My Oupa always used to say:
"Never be scared of an animal. It's the human you should be wary of."
I understood those words a little more this morning.
So today I bow my head in embarrassment and say I'm sorry.
Sorry to the people who have been judged because they have less.
Sorry to the people who have been made to feel small because of what they own.
And sorry to those who were simply minding their own business and were met with cruelty instead of kindness.
Maybe the one thing we humans should be using more than anything else is the ability to choose kindness.
❤️

Address

Strand

Telephone

+27834133302

Website

http://www.aylaleather.co.za/

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