Meet Amina Chevaillier from Ak Yol Atelier – Luxury Leather Goods
I’ve known Amina virtually for several years. I was lucky enough to stumble upon her Instagram as soon as I got into luxury leather craftsmanship. It was under the Parisian rain that we met in person for the first time. Our beautiful hand-stitched bags in luxury leathers (alligator, novonappa, shell cordovan) were thankfully not mistreated 😀
A big fan of leather, Amina first trained in leather crafting on her own. To perfect her skills, she joined the Hermès house, which is constantly looking for skilled artisans for their workshops across France. Out of 3000 candidates, after a 4-month selection process, only about twenty were accepted, and among them was Amina. With Hermès, she earned her CAP in leatherworking and honed her dexterity.
Now Amina offers her beautiful creations through her workshop in Normandy, named Ak Yol, meaning “white path” in Turkish. This polyglot and former accountant has traveled extensively, living in many countries: Kazakhstan, Malaysia, France (a bit like me in the end, except she’s ten times more dexterous than me). Amina often goes to Paris since it’s just an hour from home. Handy!
Sometimes destiny connects us in one way or another. It’s entirely possible we crossed paths at Saint-Lazare station!!! She mentioned an Asian woman with a hobo-style bag in Himalayan croc she briefly bumped into at the station, who inspired her beautiful shiny black alligator bag today. She made a larger version with a removable strap, lighter than mine. And it was looking at my Instagram that she thought it might have been me (?!) We’ll never know for sure, but I believe in destiny. It’s no coincidence that we found each other on Instagram.
Amina showed me some of her creations, and they’re even more beautiful than in photos. The finishes are excellent, the stitching, the edges, the quality and smell of the leather!!!! Her gold-plated bracelets with lizard leather are way too cute! And the good news is that you can customize everything with your choice of leather and color, down to the thread color and edge paint color. She has products to suit every budget. You can start with a small piece to admire the quality up close before opting for more intricate pieces that require more customization.
For those who don’t like exotic leathers, you can choose goat leather, which is cheaper, or calfskin… it’s up to you whether you want a leather that develops a patina, is smooth, or one that doesn’t patina and has a more pronounced feel.
Having taken two leather crafting courses, I can now recognize quality, and I assure you that you’ll be very happy with the quality of her products. Every stitch is made with care. Despite advanced technology in leather goods, Amina stays true to traditional methods: saddle stitching, one stitch at a time with two needles, for strength superior to machine sewing. Unlike other leather workers who try to cut corners – at the risk of reducing the lifespan of items – Amina always lines her creations (so more work, more leather, more reinforcement, except for Japanese shell cordovan, which doesn’t need a lining). Edges are always carefully painted (which many leather workers skip because it adds hours of waiting and several layers of paint). The leathers are of excellent quality. She doesn’t use scraps for small items; for bracelets, for example, she cuts from the middle of the lizard skin, the best part! The hardware is gold-plated or stainless steel, hand-polished, and of high quality. That’s what I love! No penny-pinching that compromises quality. Luxury leather goods are all about these small details. It might not be immediately visible to the customer, but the craftsperson’s integrity shines through these little touches.
Plus, she’s super super kind, and gave me the addresses of her favorite suppliers, which is great because I was a bit lost among Parisian leather suppliers. You can tell she’s generous, a fighter, a perfectionist. A beautiful soul, as beautiful as her stunning creations.
Let me leave you to discover her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ak_yol_atelier/
I get nothing for recommending her, I admire artisans perfectionists like Amina who never stop learning, testing new things, looking for new suppliers, creating new designs… They are absolutely my role models, and I would love to one day even just make edges as beautiful as Amina’s. I’ll need a few more years hihihi.
Amina Chevaillier
www.akyolatelier.fr
https://www.instagram.com/ak_yol_atelier/
Luxury leather goods / made to order
Leather crafting classes on request
