Blue bow bag, £140

Having to sell her own personal handbag time after time to keep up with demand at exhibitions, Karina Hesketh has found, to her delight, that she has created something special.

Recently accepted as a member of the Guild of Master-craftsmen, Karina designs and hand-makes her bags from her home in Newcastle upon Tyne. Made entirely from the highest quality British leathers, her unique vintage inspired bags are embellished with trimmings sourced from around the world, some dating back as far as 1910 to the early 60s.

Through her website she regularly attracts orders from afar afield as California, Australia and Hong Kong and has an ever increasing ‘cult-like’ following.

Karina, a former theatrical costume designer in the 70s, moved on to manufacturing her own label leather clothing in the 80s (Arrivee Peau), which was sold to independent boutiques throughout the UK and Europe, decided to set up Karina’s bags in September 2007.

In less than a year she was invited to show her work at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary art and to take part in ‘Beautifully Crafted’ at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland.

I decided that I did not want my bags to be mass produced, as I did that with my clothing range in the 80s. I just enjoy making beautiful bags and like to price them affordably, particularly with the recession, so they are within most people’s reach. I have never been busier and I think that is because there is a backlash away from trophy bags and a desire for something original with longevity.

This policy is backed up by sales increasing on a monthly basis and over 400 commissions for individual handbags.