About Hammer & Smith
Hammer & Smith is a Toronto + Karachi based, multi-disciplinary leather design studio and retail brand, offering premium quality, leather footwear, accessories, apparel and lifestyle products with down to earth aesthetics. The studio was founded in 2011 by Ahmed Ilyas and works across a wide range of scales and disciplines, from leather goods and accessories, to shoe making, and garments. Taking an industrial approach to craft, Hammer & Smith began simply with a goal to create long-lasting designs with carefully considered details and construction techniques. By this process, products are continually refined over time rather than in response to a market calendar or set schedule and introduced as they reach a level of quality and utility.
Taking inspiration from Scandinavian and Japanese design culture, our studio’s design philosophy is ‘Made Simple, Made Well, Made Honest’, which means that any product we design and manufacture is evaluated against three basic tests. firstly, if its simple and has a clean, minimalistic design and is serving a clear need, secondly, if its quality is premium and it is well crafted and lastly, if it is something we would proudly use ourselves. Each product we put up for sale is not only cleanly designed and functional at its core, but it comes with a promise that it has been crafted using finest quality materials and with utmost care and attention to detail.
Our Process & Practices
A meditative deliberation is evident in the details of the studio’s work. Leather goods are patterned with architectural precision and meticulously stitched by hand and basic machines while furniture pieces find an elegant simplicity in spare joinery details inspired by minimalistic woodworking. Each Hammer & Smith design is the result of a rigorous process that values quality, refinement, and simplicity as necessary traits for an object of everyday use.
A hand-sewn leather wallets, classic handcrafted boat shoes, minimalistic bags, and wooden stools are among the common items made by Hammer & Smith with attention and care. These handcrafted details forge a dialogue between the designer, maker, and user, and often, a sense of community. Reflecting the studio’s commitment to cleaner environment and socially responsible labor practices, all Hammer & Smith products are designed in Toronto, Canada and manufactured in Karachi, Pakistan with the majority of work being done within 20 kilometer of our studio.
Hammer & Smith also believes in giving back to the community. In addition to holding charity events our studio has fully integrated holding crafting workshops in our business model. While other businesses close their doors and keep their practices secret we have an 'Open Studio' policy. We welcome people to our 'Open Studio' events where we share with them our design and craft processes and teach them how to create some of the products we offer.
Our Materials
Our studio uses some of the finest quality leather from Pakistan, Italy and USA to make our products. We only work with top quality leather tanners certified as Gold and Silver Standard Tanneries by LWG - Leather Working Group.
Each procured leather skin is test for quality before being used to manufacture shoes, accessories and garments. Our studio also recycles most of its leather and fabric waste and take utmost care in disposing all our production waste as per international standards. Further more to offset our carbon footprint our studio actively engages in 'Cleaner Environment' projects and activities.
As Featured In Publications
Over the years our studio, our work and our team has been featured in various national and international publications. We are thankful for all our media partners and friends in the industry to have given us the coverage and helping highlight our work at both national and international stage.
Hammer & Smith In Press
