Stella Gikonyo made Eva a strong, elegant leather handbag that keeps her essentials organized and close, ready for work and daily care. What's your wish? →
View material & custom-made details
This Bespoke Leather Handbag With Laptop Compartment shows how Stella Gikonyo turned a detailed everyday-carry brief into a structured leather work bag with space for a laptop, documents and medical essentials. It is a useful example for anyone exploring a custom leather handbag that needs organization, secure closure and travel-ready capacity rather than a simple tote.
- Request: The project was planned as a sturdy but understated handbag in black leather, able to carry a laptop, A4 papers, emergency medical supplies and daily essentials in separate sections.
- Final result: The finished bag included a zipped padded center laptop compartment, a full top zipper, strong handles, metal feet and an adjustable detachable strap, with overall dimensions confirmed at about 48 cm wide, 32 cm high and 14.5 cm deep.
- Design details: Black leather was paired with a bold kikoy lining in strong purple-toned colors, plus discreet kikoy accents on the exterior and shoulder pad for a practical bag with a bit of color inside.
- Fit and use: The center section was made to hold a laptop and documents, while the wider body and multiple interior areas made the bag better suited to travel, work gear and organized carry than to a compact everyday handbag.
- Process: Public progress photos documented the leather and lining selection, work-in-progress assembly and final size checks, and the customer later described the bag as beautiful and neatly made.
Every unique piece tells a story. What’s yours?
This design was custom-made exclusively for Eva. Let it inspire you: customize this design to fit your vision or start with a completely new idea. You chat directly with our artisans, and we handle the secure process.
A request by Eva from Oberstocken, Schweiz
Hello
I would like a sturdy, yet chic handbag with many interior compartments. In it I should be able to transport emergency medical supplies for me as well as a laptop if needed.
I have come up with the following features:
– Dimensions: 48x32x14.5 (width x height x depth), handle length about 28cm.
– Material:
o Exterior: sturdy genuine leather, dimensionally stable, weatherproof, but preferably not too heavy; strong, washable bottom, possibly different leather inserts.
o Interior: colored fabric
– Interior compartments
o In the middle, a padded laptop compartment with zipper; in it should also be able to accommodate individual DINA4 documents
o Two large compartments each side of laptop compartment:
Side 1 with a compartment for a 0.5L water bottle and three additional dividers; adjacent side panel with three slip pockets (e.g. for cell phone, tissues, headphones)
Side 2 without dividers; adjacent side wall with two large zippered compartments (for notepaper with pens as well as shopping bags)
– The bag should not collapse when placed on its side
– Metal feet
– Side drawstring handles to expand/reduce the size of the bag
– Possibility to attach additional waist belt with D-rings for bicycle ride
– The bag can be completely closed with a zipper at the top
– The zippers should definitely be of good quality!
– Is there a way to remove the inner fabric for washing, for example, by removing it with an invisible zipper?
The Journey of Creating Bespoke Leather Handbag With Laptop Compartment
Negotiation & Planning
Bespoke Leather Handbag With Laptop Compartment - design ideas and artisan proposals
Hello Eva,
Greetings from Nairobi , Kenya.
My name is Gikonyo and I am happy to provide an offer for your sturdy handbag.
Special feature
Kindly advise what kind of medical suppliers you would like to carry and if there are any particular insulation thats required on the bag.
We look forward to your feed back.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
Hello Gikonyo
Thank you very much for your feedback.
As a diabetic, I need to be able to transport insulin as cooled as possible. For this, insulation of the 0.5L side compartment and the first adjacent subdivision in side compartment 1 would be super. Insulation of the whole bag is not necessary! Should I make another sketch?
Kind regards,
Eva (Automatic translation)
Good day Eva,
We have reviewed your requirments and we are happy to provide you with an offer for your sturdy handbag.
Please advise on
Design
Do you have a preferred design?
Leather color
Which color of leather would you prefer we work with ?
design rather plain (see also sketch)
- outside leather in natural color (open for suggestions), possibly with embossing (open for suggestions, e.g. plant or flower motif), possibly different leather inserts
- lower part of the bag with sturdy leather, upper part of the bag may be thinner
- inside colorful fabric (Automatic translation)
Dear Eva,
Thank you for the sketch, it has made the design clear.
Leather color
Please find proposed colors :
Black
Mocha Brown
Chestnut
Dark tan
Lining options
Kikoy or Ankara linning options.
However, we will match the colors with the leather you will select.
We await your feedback.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
We ca
Dear Gikonyo
I like the combination of picture 3 (20230723_120025.jpg) with the black leather outside and the fabric in purple tones! Do you have different fabric swatches in those colors? At most, I could imagine the colors repeating on the outside bar of the bag in some way, such as a discrete band of color on the handles or similar.
Best regards,
Eva (Automatic translation)
Good day Eva,
Thank you for your feedback.
Leather color; We go with black.
Lining
Kikoy
The one available that can work with black is attached.
Yes we can accentuate the handles with kikoy in a discreet manner.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
I await your feedback
Dear Gikonyo
Thank you very much for your feedback. Kikoy is good. At best, do you have something that is a bit more in the colors purple and blue/turquoise?
Love greetings,
Eva (Automatic translation)
Good day Eva.
My apologies for the delay, i was sourcing for the kikoy.
Please find the image labelled new kikoy for your review.
It has purple, blue and turquoise among other colors.
We await your feedback.
Kind regards,.
Gikonyo Stellar
Hello Gikonyo
I like the first kikoy with the strong colors better after all! Sorry for the trouble.
Best regards, Eva (Automatic translation)
Hello Eva,
No trouble at all.
Your choice is well noted.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
Crafting Process
How to make a Bespoke Leather Handbag With Laptop Compartment – work in progress
Good day Eva.
Please allow us 3 days to gather all the required materials so we can get started on the bag.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
Great, I'm excited to see your work! (Automatic translation)
Thanks Eva.
I am waiting for the leather so i can share the photos.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar.
No problem. (Automatic translation)
Good day Eva,
Please find the sample of black leather and kikoy lining fabric that we will use in making your bag.
We will use two units of the lining and i have attached the same for your review and approval so we can get started.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
Perfect! I am looking forward to your work!
Eva (Automatic translation)
Thank you Eva,
We will get started with production and keep you updated.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
I received a message that the status was updated, but I don't see it. Is there any news? (Automatic translation)
Hi Eva,
We are on track to finish making the bag by Monday August 21.
We are stitching all the pieces together as we speak.
I have attached the photos of our Wip- Work in progress.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar
Great, looking forward to it! (Automatic translation)
Good day Eva,
Progress Report.
We are almost done.
Please find the progress photos attached hereby.
We will add the Kikoy accent on the outside as we finalize on the top binding as well as add it in the shoulder pad for the detachable shoulder strap.
Kind regards,
Gikonyo Stellar.
I will
Dear Gikonyo
Wow, this looks great already!
I still have the following comments/questions:
- Does the middle compartment fit a laptop with the dimensions 26x35cm?
- The handles I imagined a little longer, but I saw that my sketch is misleading. I actually thought that the length of the loop would be 28cm long and the total length would be about twice as long (about 60cm), so you could easily carry the bag on your shoulder with it. The detachable strap would be intended as a belly strap. If that can not be changed now, then it also works with the detachable shoulder strap. But here it would be good if this was size adjustable.
- Side 1 should actually still be divided into three compartments. If that is now no longer possible, it is not so bad.
You do a great job!
Best regards,
Eva (Automatic translation)
Hi Eva,
We have reviewed your feedback and we have captured most of your requiements.
I will share comprehensive photos with a tape measure in the new week to show the sizing.
With thanks,
Gikonyo Stellar
Great, thank you very much! (Automatic translation)
Good day Eva,
Please find the full photos of the bag.
Handles.
The hand handles are at 35cm all round.
To adjust them to fit a regular shoulder will require undoing the entire bag.
Padded Center pocket.
The padded laptop compartment is the Center piece and closes up with a zipper as requested.
Please review the photos attached.
With thanks
,
Gikonyo Stellar
Thank you very much, I am looking forward to the bag! (Automatic translation)
Hello Eva,
this is Vicky the local operations manager, I received your bag and would like to include you in the quality check. I can see that Stella already sent several photos showing most parts of the bag, so the photos I have shared are only to confirm the external dimensions, but feel free to ask if there are any other parts you would like me to show. These are the different dimensions;
A- 48cm
B- 55cm
C- 32cm
D- 14.5cm
E- 48cm
F- 102cm
G- 129cm
H- 10cm
Kindly go through these and let me know what you think.
Regards,
Vicky Achieng.
Dear Vicky
Thank you very much for your photos. Almost everything looks good so far. My only question is if the belly strap can be shortened so that when hung over the shoulder it only has a length of about 28cm (distance E)? Actually I wanted a length of 28cm at distance H, but it's my fault as my sketch was not clear in this regard.... Would it be possible to make another photo with someone carrying the bag hung over the shoulder?
Love greetings,
Eva (Automatic translation)
Greetings Eva.
Thank you for your feedback.
The shoulder strap is adjustable with a buckle.
I have also attached a photo of the bag when carried.
Kind regards
Gikonyo Stellar
Thank you for your work, I look forward to the bag! (Automatic translation)
Hello Eva,
Did the photo Stella sent you answer your question now?
The strap she made is adjustable even down to 28cm. I have shared a photo holding the bag at 28cm length. Kindly have a look.
Best regards,
Vicky.
That's a good thing, thank you. (Automatic translation)
The Finished Unique Piece – Individually Handmade
Reference: ON010050E-50396
Cost structure of this project
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Cost of material |
92.02
|
| Cost of labour |
40.9
|
| Cost of packaging |
3.41
|
| Local Transport to photoshoot and parcel drop-off |
2.39
|
| Subtotal – payout to artisan |
138.72
|
| Customer acquisition costs (advertising etc.) |
13.87
|
| Handling fee Urban Change Lab |
13.87
|
| Total (excluding shipping & taxes) |
166.46
|
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Note on shipping & taxes
The cost breakdown above shows how the value of this individual project is composed.
Shipping costs and any applicable taxes (e.g. VAT) depend on the delivery country and the specific setup and are therefore not shown as fixed amounts here.
All additional costs are communicated transparently before placing a binding order.
If you have any questions, you will find our contact details further down this page.
