Crafted goods

TRANSFORMING leather into functional items for everyday use is Wanpi.co. A local homegrown brand, this label produces leather products that are sleek, stylish and practical.
“It started as a hobby back in 2010. I was looking for leather products, but discovered that the ones sold aren’t exactly what I wanted. Hence, I did some research and decided to make them myself. When my friends noticed and asked me about it, that was when I realised there is actually a demand for leather goods,” said Unagi Wong, the founder and maker of Wanpi.co.
Even then, the label wasn’t fully conceptualised until 2015 when a collaboration with a local fashion designer, Moto Guo, happened. A friend introduced them to each other and things kicked off from there. Since then, despite being fairly new in the industry, Wanpi has travelled to fashion weeks across the globe.
“Working with Moto has been interesting to say the least. In fact, our first collaboration was when Wanpi officially emerged as a brand. When we first met, he found that my items were minimal and intriguing, while I didn’t mind exploring new design avenues. And just like that, we’ve partnered up for two years already. I’m also happy that thanks to this partnership, my products made their appearances in European fashion weeks.”
Though Wanpi is fondly known for their association with Guo, the brand is actually unique in its own right. Wong produces custom-made products – from bags to coin pouches to key holders –made from genuine cow leather sourced from Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, United States, Taiwan, and Pakistan.
He also puts his own creative spin to the products by keeping them as close to the original form as possible. By going for the natural, tanned leather look, Wong created a design genetic that is as raw as it is minimalist.
“I like to custom make things because I don’t want to be the same as everybody else. I want to make things that are distinctive, to the extent where people will recognise it’s my work when they see it,” he explained.
Considering how he is running the label alone, Wanpi is still operating on a made-to-order basis where, depending on the complexities of the product, it takes about two to three week’s time to complete an order. Wong further elaborated that due to the nature of the material, the process of making leather products is a complicated one.
“Because leather is thicker than fabric, it is quite tricky to curve, bend and stitch them together, Moreover, the thickness of leather is not the same throughout the whole piece – this may sound like a small detail, but it’ll greatly affect the texture and the end product. Hence, I need to measure and find the best spot to use.”
What’s remarkable about Wong’s leather finesse is that he learnt these skills himself via books, magazines and the internet. He also exhibits an introspective and humble mindset by preferring to stay out of the limelight.
“I want to keep a low profile because my products are the only things that matter. So long as people appreciate their qualities, it’s good enough for me. Hence, my focus is on developing better goods because I do not want to remain stagnant; I want to keep making things that are different – be it different designs or using different techniques,” he added.
This year, Wanpi will indeed be venturing into something new as there is a plan in the pipeline to launch a small ready-made collection.
Fun fact: Wanpi is a romanisation of a Chinese phrase “Wan Pi” that denotes to both playing with leather as well as playful. The latter is a trait that Wong says he has.