PETALING JAYA, April 2 — It started with a stitch for Unagi Wong. When he was seven years old, he made a pouch for his Game Boy. Now in his thirties, he is still stitching away and crafting leather goods like key holders, coin pouches, wallets and bags under his own brand Wanpi 玩皮. His minimalist and functional designs are limited or one of a kind, so if you come across them, snap it up quickly before someone else does!

"It has been two and a half years now as a brand. Before that, I do it as a side passion for friends. First, I started making leather products for myself. I like leather products in the market but I would say they do not cater to what I need so I decided to make some for myself,” said Unagi who now pursues his passion on a full-time basis. Previously a mechanical engineer graduate, he decided not to take up that career since the starting salary was too low. Instead, he took up various jobs such as a fitness instructor and barista.

Unagi’s approach for his leather items is a playful one as seen by its name. "The name has double meaning. One is naughty in Mandarin and playing with leather so the vowel is almost the same. It also means playful in Mandarin. Since I was a kid, I was quite naughty and playful; climbing up and down, doing those kid’s stuff.” Even his logo that depicts a baby (inspired by the iconic Popo fish muruku logo) with tattoos follows a similar theme. He adds, "I chose a baby because it signifies playfulness.”

Unagi Wong is the shy owner of Wanpi 玩皮, a homegrown leather brand.

For Unagi, the making process for his products starts with choosing the cow leather, preferably vegetable-tanned since it is all-natural and chemical-free. He sources for the leather locally or from the US. Sometimes he buys the leather when he makes a trip overseas. According to Unagi, depending on individual use, the more you touch or use the leather, it will turn a darker hue. In leather craftsmanship lingo, it is called the patina. Similar to human skin, the leather also tans when it is exposed to sun. He adds, "Different marks will be made on the surface making every piece truly different.”

Once he selects the best part of the leather, Unagi will trace the pattern on the leather using an awl. He cuts out the parts and applies a finishing on the leather such as conditioners or waxes. Next, he marks and makes stitching holes onto the leather. This is followed by clamping pieces of leather with the stitching pony and joining the parts by stitching them together using saddle stitch. The final finishing involves cleaning the surface to remove any hand marks or prints with a damp cloth.

Deft hands making leather masterpieces.

With his own brand, Unagi prefers to focus on making quality products rather than quantity. Each item is meticulously made and the stitching are perfect. He also uses cardboard prototypes before actually cutting the leather and shaping them. This lessens mistakes and reduces time. As his items require a lot of work, most of his items are custom-orders. "Usually custom products takes about three weeks depending on the difficulty,” said Unagi. When you order a custom product, you can also request for your initials to be embossed.

What makes Unagi unusual is he is entirely self-taught! He learned how to craft the leather goods by examining finished leather products and figuring how it works. He also reads books about leather making and watch YouTube videos. His favourite leather crafters are Japanese ones including Samurai Craft, Takokawa and Flat Head. "I’m inspired by Japan and their designs. Their craftsmanship is very good.”

Wanpi 玩皮 uses quality vegetable-tanned leather.

However, his biggest challenge is not competition from other leather crafters. "I think we (leather crafters) have our own personality towards our work. We have different types of focus as in design. My biggest challenge is coming out with weird shapes like oval, hexagon shape where leather forming method is required and it doesn’t really stand on the table. That’s the hardest part,” said Unagi. He also find that most Malaysians have little appreciation for local handcrafted products. He adds, "They find that it’s a high price for a small item. So, I have to explain to them — the process from start to the end, how many hours to make.”

Aside from playing with leather, he has also upcycled rice sacks collected from Thailand and attached leather straps to create bags. "Depends on the demand. I would rather spend more time doing different things rather than doing a lot of the same thing. I’m also trying to change designs yearly and release according to collections. There are no requests yet but I will do different colours like green, orange, yellow and so. It also depends on the leather colour texture whether is it workable for the design.” For some designs, he plays with a different structure, like his paper bag-inspired leather bag. This requires a different approach by using a softer leather to make the shape.

Protect your pencils with this cool pencil cover (left). This round multi-purpose pouch is Unagi Wong’s favourite item (right).

Out of all the designs he has made, his favourite is a round pouch which can be used to store earphones and cables. Wanpi 玩皮’s best-selling items are the coin case and the triangle key pouch. Prices start from RM25 onwards for the USB holder.

In 2015 and 2016, Wanpi 玩皮 collaborated with Malaysian fashion designer Motoguo for a number of fashion shows around the world. It was an interesting synergy with Wanpi 玩皮’s toned down style complementing Motoguo’s eccentric, over-the-top designs. "It was quite fun as I got to try out different types of designs where I can explore more and share ideas. We try to blend in so we can see the distinctive factors of our different directions,” said Unagi.

Upcycled rice sacks with leather details for the ultimate cool look (left). Leather making tools from the US (right).

Recently, Wanpi 玩皮 was also picked by Koncent Malaysia to be one of the participants for Design Link, a pop-up at Isetan The Japan Store. The collective of handmade artists are showcasing their work there up to April 5. It’s not the first time Unagi is working with the same artists, as he also has an existing collaboration with Bentuk Bentuk and Ohsum Mossum Terrariums, known as B.O.W..

Unagi plans to open an online store for Wanpi 玩皮 in the future. The shy and soft-spoken leather crafter said, "I would say I rather people appreciate the products and the craftsmanship rather than myself. I don’t really talk much.”

Get your Wanpi 玩皮 handcrafted goods at:-

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wanpi.co

Ilaika No. 17, Jalan 20/13, Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya

Commune Sunway Velocity, Jalan Cheras 55100, Kuala Lumpur