While our ‘MAKE ME ONE’ buying option is nothing new in the fashion industry. Since the Covid-19 pandemic catalysed lockdowns all over the world last year paralysing bricks-and-mortar retail, this efficient production system has exploded - particularly among independent brands. ROWDY BAGS UK flipped to including a made-to-order model for out-of-stock items during the COVID-19 outbreak when there were limited artisans in the factory.   What does ‘MAKE ME ONE’ mean? When shopping on our online store, you may have noticed a couple of items are available on MAKE ME ONE. MAKE ME ONE refers to a flexible fulfilment model...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on everybody and small business owners are no exception.  Global chains have clearly felt tremors throughout their isolated operations but the relative effect COVID-19 has had on local independent retailers and hospitality has been catastrophic. Despite an ability of small businesses to adapt nimbly to everyday circumstances, the pandemic has introduced a whole new set of challenges—and no one was prepared.   Studies show that most small businesses simply don’t have the credit and capital needed to make it through this global health crisis unscathed. The average small business only has enough resources in reserve to...

We are thrilled to have recently been featured in TBC Media's Gone Travelling blog. Written by editor Charlotte Rogers, Gone Travelling explores how gone are the days of fast fashion, and how making products that stand the test of time are key to success going forward.  "What started as an operation made to create leather rucksacks for local students has since turned into a company which is determined to design leather bags that fit into a society underpinned by thoughtful consumption and sustainable living," writes Charlotte. We absolutely ADORE her description of our leather shades, as she explains: "ROWDY offers...

The Coronavirus pandemic will have far-reaching and long-lasting effects, far beyond the current nationwide lockdown South Africa is enduring. It is during this time that a good business will put on the brakes in time, move skillfully around the bend and then accelerate back onto the straight. With this attitude, owner Adam Young has not allowed ROWDY to be thrown off kilter when the national lockdown took effect at the end of March 2020. Instead, the team has continued to innovate. “My first focus was to ensure ROWDY, a still fledgeling business would survive the lockdown. I care deeply about my staff,...

We hope you are healthy - we are so grateful that our team is right now. We trust you are practising socially distancing yourselves at the moment, and if you can, working remotely from home. While it isn’t business as usual, remember you can still do business beautifully. From the start, all our designs have been created to help you move with ease while offering you a durable, elegant product that protects your personal items. To make the best of a very difficult moment, we would like to highlight some of our ROWDY Business Collection that is designed to add...

Can you make this bag for me? Could you add a pocket here or remove that there? We get asked these sorts of questions a lot, so we thought we’d make a post about it so you can better understand.  Essentially, as a factory, we have a production line where our 20 leather cutters, machinists and finishers each have an allocated task. It is a finely tuned process, with everyone an essential piece of the puzzle to reach our bag quota for the day.  In order to do a custom item, we need to pull a machinist out of our...

Curious about how your ROWDY Bag was made? We encourage the public to visit and experience our factory, which is the beating heart of ROWDY. Located at 20 Brickfield Road in Cape Town, our factory is the culmination of our commitment to transparent production. Open to the public, here you can learn more about how we make our leather bags and watch our team of leather artisans and machinists do their skilled work.  As visitors enter through a set of double doors – the distinctive hum of the working sewing machines and leather press can already be heard at this...

You might have noticed the words ‘Embrace Basic Goodness’ embossed on some of our ROWDY slings. Why is that there and what does it mean?  Basic goodness is not a ‘thing’. It is the natural state of openness that is gentle, brave, sensitive and perceptive. Although all human beings, at their core, are living expressions of basic goodness, our thoughts , words and actions often may not be. We tend to get wrapped up in the day to day going ons - the busy times and the stress make us forget that we need to look out for ourselves as...

Now that you have your beautiful new ROWDY bag, the next step is to make sure that you look after your bag so that it’ll stay with you for as long as possible. At ROWDY, it is in our ethos to make beautiful products that will last a lifetime. That’s why every bag we make comes with the ROWDY Promise. This means that we offer a certified lifetime guarantee on all our products, but this only applies to manufacturing defects such as loose stitches, broken zipper or faulty fittings.  Luckily, leather is a durable material that can last for decades...