THE CRAFTER’S KOINONA

“IT’S A DAILY THING, IT’S NOTHING… ATAS”, said Dynna breaking into a half-smile-half-laugh. The leather draped walls and various paraphernalia responsible for turning raw leather into beauty were certainly enchanting; but not nearly as enchanting as how dedicated Forest Child is to building a community that appreciates leather.

Their motivations are primarily to share their love for crafting and it is hard to not agree with them. My conversation with Dynna was frequently punctuated by the grinding of some machine in the corner by fellow crafters that were borrowing the workshop. The designs are described as modern takes on classic ideas; and Dynna informs me that their creative concept is primarily inspired by her childhood on St John’s Island where nature surrounded her. “Leather is as close as you can get to nature- something that you can wear and carry around”- as Dynna excitedly says, followed by a simple smile that could not have been missed.

The trio divide their work generally into their areas of expertise but frequently overlap to help one another. Their struggle, however, is making ends meet, where their beliefs on the perpetuation of the craft and creativity frequently clash with on its real profitability. Machines imported from countries like Hong Kong incur freighting charges that amounts to hundreds- twenty times of that online shopping shipping cost you just bore. As I refuse to understand how they hold their profit line afloat; Dynna simplifies it into a baseline for my convenience, and this could probably stand as unparalleled advice for anyone as well: “we’ve put our life into this- we must trust one another, and we know that most businesses are bound to fail…”

Starting out in a distrustful industry of leather crafting, Forest Child was initiated by Dynna and Rozz three years back with Adlina joining two years later. Contrarian to the typical secrecy of craft work; they invite anyone to their quaint workshop to express their creativity, merely charging them for the usage of tools and materials. Regular workshops are held that cater to the crafting of leather goods of different sizes rather than proficiency in leather crafting. Forest Child aims to be the heart of the local leather crafting scene by being a common space for leather aficionados.

Boldly challenging her own statement of failing businesses- Forest Child intends for her own production line released in the coming years, and an online interface sometime next year to peddle their goods, services and to advertise their workshops and availability. Other local handicraft is also on sale in their workshop, a space that they have dedicated to be an exhibition of local artistry. They have also branched one of their hobbies- making coffee into a catering business. With a workshop that is dedicated to leather craft and equally celebrates other forms of artistry; Forest Child is a party that everyone is invited to.


You can discover Forest Child through Facebook and Instagram.   

Situated at 751 North Bridge Road, along Jalan Kledek they offer a range of services from provision of leather supplies, leather-craft machinery, ready-made leather products and custom made orders.

You can also discover their coffee catering business, Forest Coffee on Instagram

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