We recently connected with Kika Vliegenthart and have shared our conversation below.
Kika, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My Parents, both art historians, introduced my brother and me to everything they loved in life. The travelled with us to different cultures, showed us everything they knew about art and tought us how to live comfortably in nature. One day they took us to a metal smith who made the gates for one of the Royal Palaces in The Netherlands, were we grew up. When i saw the guy working with fire, bending steal and designing and making this beautiful gate , i knew instantly that i wanted to do something simular. Design and make beautiful functional objects.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Thirty years ago, after finishing a masters in Economy in Amsterdam, I went to New York to study documentary filmmaking at the New School. During those years I walked into the Lower East Side workshop of the legendary leathersmith Barbara Shaum, who showed me the door. But it was too late; I had fallen in love with the craft, and refused to leave. So began a rigorous leathersmith apprenticeship that would alter my life.
Fifteen years later, now a master at the craft, began designing leather goods on her own. I met Sabine Spanjer, ( last foto -importnat to use) a designer and film editor living in Amsterdam, and together we focused our attention fully on leatherwork. We established a signature brand of high-quality, beautiful, and reliable leather goods, hand-built in our studio. A collection of backpacks, bags, sandals, belts, and small goods, sourced from impeccable leather hides and hand-tooled European brass, has made an indelible mark on Brooklyn.
Now, KikaNY has expanded to Spain, in a atelier, where all the leather-smithing takes place. KikaNY will always be women-owned and women-operated, and we will never rely on factories or shady labor practices.
You can spot KikaNY goods in trade shows and stores all over the world.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think adventure and travelling had the most impact on my life. To widen ones horizon and experience new ways of life, meet people with different ideas, see the miracles of ancient architecture, and experience the wonders of nature is what gave me the most inspiration to create my life the way that feels best for me. In my ideal world kids would open their eyes and connect with everything they see around them, things they like, things they love and things they do not understand and do not like at all. Create your own journey , do not follow anyone.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Hands down my parents and my partner in crime Sabine. My parents gave me the freedom and stability to explore anything anywhere in this world. I am not talking about money here, because there where definitely limits in that regard. But they stimulated my curiosity and showed me how to realize my ideas and dreams by giving my confidence and support . But never could I have pulled this of alone! The creativity, strenght and knowledge of my partner Sabine put us on the map. Together every day is an adventure, we create, we design, we run our business. And after years of living en working in Brooklyn, New York we now learn how to live in nature in our off-grid finca in the mountains in Mallorca, Spain.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kikaNY.com
- Instagram: kikaNY_leathergoods
- Youtube: KikaNY @ kikaNYleathersmiths
Image Credits
pictures KikaNY
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
