We chatted with Yusuf Perens from Galen Leather about his beautiful handmade office products:
What inspires your designs?
Actual needs. It first started by being inspired by our own personal needs. For example, if we wanted to carry both our iPad and iPhone (which many people do) plus a basic paper notebook and pen – then we wanted a handy portfolio that could safely carry these items together. Each one has its own place in our daily use so we created our popular leather notebook covers to cater for this need.
The motto of our designing process is: “Balance the analog and digital.”
We are inspired by the philosophy in the design of our products. To elaborate further, just because we live in a digital age, it doesn’t mean people have forgone analog writing tools altogether. Rather, we’re finding ways to merge the two worlds together as they both still play such an important role in our daily lives.
We have discovered over time, that a lot of people don’t want just one or the other; they want to balance their life. It is impossible to stay away from tech at this age but personally, I don’t think any app can really compete with, or is as practical as, taking notes in a paper notebook.
How did the idea for the writing box arise?
It was inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s portable writing desk. Back then, the writing box was a very popular accessory as a portable writing desk. People carried this around with them like we today with our electronic gadgets. So, we decided to make a modern version of this to store and organize writing accessories.
Why did you add brass stationery to the brand?
We love this antique looking material and its nature has many correlations with leather (what we are best known for) such as it aging beautifully and getting a patina in time and use. You can use these stationery tools not only for their functionality, but also this patina makes them nice desk accessories that will stand the test of time and age with you over the years. They are more likely to become pieces people cherish, not simply dispose of after a few months or years.
Name 3 apps on your phone that you use every day?
- Re-amaze (to check daily customer messages)
- In-Shot – a great video and image tool
- To-do-list – to track daily tasks
What websites do you read daily?
Bloglovin, and Penaddict.
What’s your favourite piece of technology or gadget that you couldn’t live without?
Sony A7- R3 Camera
Head to the Galen Leather website to view these beautiful products: https://www.galenleather.com/
About Galen Leather
Galen is a family company, based in Istanbul-Turkey. Sadly, the founder of company Zeynep passed away in July 2019. Her brother (Yusuf) and husband (Yunus) are lovingly carrying on her legacy and devotion to beautiful, quality handmade products.
Galen Leather handcraft leather notebook covers, pen cases, Macbook cases, iPad sleeves, leather journals made with high-quality Tomoe River Paper and travel accessories, to inspire you on your adventures and in your creative pursuits. Designed and handmade in Turkey, our products add a touch of luxury to your travels and provide the guarantee of a long-lasting accomplice you can trust to last the test of time while on the road.
Our journal covers and writing sets will transport you back to a time where no traveller would dare leave on a journey without a leather-bound notepad and ink pen to jot down their thoughts and memories. Our focus is mainly on making leather journal covers compatible with Moleskine, Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917 and Field Notes brands.
While we may share your nostalgia for the romantic notion of putting pen to paper, we also embrace modern technology with the changing of time. And so, we created our line of laptop and tablet cases too.
