Name: An Vandenberk
Price range: $$$

Discovered at Faubourg 21

Handcrafted in Brussels by An Vandenberk.

You have discovered one of my handcrafted leather pieces at Faubourg 21.

The leather goods presented here were developed and made especially for Faubourg 21 in my Brussels atelier. Each piece brings together the distinctive world of the hotel and my own approach to craftsmanship, contemporary design and meaningful luxury.

For me, true luxury is not defined by a logo. It lies in the quality and provenance of the materials, the precision of the craftsmanship and the personal connection between an object and the person who owns it.

crafted by ME

Created especially for Faubourg 21

Every leather piece presented at Faubourg 21 is handcrafted in small quantities.

From the choice of leather and thread to the construction, stitching, edge finishing and final polishing, every detail is carefully considered and executed in my atelier in Schaerbeek, Brussels.

Leather is a natural material. Its subtle variations, markings and nuances are not imperfections, but part of its character. They ensure that every piece has an identity of its own.

No two pieces are ever quite the same.

Beyond the piece you discovered

The leather object you discovered at Faubourg 21 can also be the beginning of a more personal journey.

Alongside these specially developed pieces, I design and handcraft one-of-a-kind handbags and leather objects for private clients in Belgium and abroad.

I call these unique creations COMPOSITES.

A Composite is created around you: your style, your daily life, your preferences and, when relevant, your personal story.

Together, we define:

the shape and proportions;
the leather, colours and textures;
the interior organisation;
the handles, straps and hardware;
the construction and finishing;
the distinctive details that will make the piece unmistakably yours.

The result is not simply a personalised version of an existing bag. It is an original creation, designed and handcrafted specifically for you.

Your story

Your story can become part of the design

A personal creation can begin with newly sourced leather, selected especially for your project.

It can also begin with something you already own.

A cherished leather jacket, an inherited bag or another meaningful material can sometimes be transformed into a new object while preserving part of its history, character and emotional value.

Rather than allowing a valuable material to disappear into a wardrobe, I explore how it can be given a new form, a new purpose and a new chapter.

Discover leather transformations

Beyond luxury

Crafted beyond conventional luxury

For exceptional projects, a handbag can be personalised far beyond its leather, shape and finish.

Personal details may include:

unique clasps or specially developed hardware;
precious-metal elements;
a bespoke jewel;
personal symbols or monograms;
meaningful materials integrated into the design;
a fragrance created especially for you and incorporated into the handbag.

These possibilities are not added merely for decoration. Each element is developed as an integral part of the creation and of the story it is intended to carry.

Three crafts. One shared vision.

For the most exceptional commissions, I collaborate with two remarkable women whose work, like mine, is rooted in outstanding craftsmanship, personal meaning and profound respect for people, materials and provenance.

We each work in a different medium — leather, precious metals and fragrance — yet share the same conviction: true luxury should not only be beautiful and deeply personal, but also conscious, purposeful and created with integrity.

Together, we can transform a handbag into a singular experience that can be seen, touched, worn, sensed and remembered.

Saskia shutt

A jewel whose beauty reaches further

Clasps and sculptural details can be crafted in precious metal or developed into a bespoke jewel, with or without gemstones.

For these exceptional creations, I collaborate with Saskia Shutt, an outstanding Brussels-based goldsmith and jewellery designer whose artistry is matched by her profound ethical commitment.

Saskia creates exquisite jewellery by hand, but the meaning of her work reaches far beyond the finished object. Through her ethical goldsmithing practice, she works with carefully sourced, traceable precious metals and responsibly selected gemstones.

Her commitment extends to the people at the very beginning of the supply chain: the artisanal miners and their communities whose labour, knowledge and lives often remain invisible within conventional luxury.

Through her choices and engagement, Saskia contributes to greater transparency, fairer working conditions, safer mining practices, environmental responsibility and more meaningful support for mining communities.

Her jewellery therefore carries more than aesthetic and emotional value. It connects beauty with provenance, human dignity and positive impact.

Together, Saskia and I conceive the jewel as an intrinsic part of the handbag — not as an embellishment added at the end, but as a singular design element in which leather craftsmanship and goldsmithing become one. The result is a creation of exceptional artistry: personal in its meaning, precious in its execution and beautiful in more ways than can be seen.

Luisa jo

A handbag with its own signature scent

For an even more intimate and immersive expression of personal luxury, your handbag can be given a fragrance created especially for you.

For this exceptional service, I collaborate with Franziska Josteit, founder of Luisa Jo.

Together with Franziska, you explore the memories, emotions, preferences and facets of your personality that will shape your personal perfume.

The fragrance is developed around you and then discreetly incorporated into the handbag as an integral part of its identity.

It is not simply a bottle of perfume carried inside the bag. It is an olfactory signature conceived as part of the creation itself.

Your handbag can therefore be experienced through sight, touch and scent creating a deeply personal, multisensory object that carries not only your style and story, but also your own fragrance.

A bag that is recognisably yours, even with your eyes closed.discuss together what suits your design and budget best.

kindred spirits

Three kindred creative spirits

Leather gives the creation its form, structure and tactile character.

Jewellery introduces preciousness, symbolism and light. Fragrance adds an invisible and intimate dimension, capable of awakening emotion and memory.

Brought together by three kindred creative spirits, these crafts become one coherent expression of the person for whom the handbag is created.

A piece that is not only made for you, but shaped around your values, your senses and your story.

Made slowly

Designed for a lifetime.

A personal creation requires time.

Every project passes through a considered process of conversation, research, design development, material selection, prototyping and craftsmanship.

Depending on the complexity and character of the design, a piece may be machine-stitched, hand-stitched or created through a combination of both. The construction and finishing techniques are chosen according to the design, the intended use of the bag and your personal preferences.

This slow and attentive process allows me to create objects with character, longevity and meaning.

They are not designed for a season, but to accompany you for many years and, with the right care, beyond a lifetime.

An Vandenberk

Meet the craftswoman behind the piece

I am An Vandenberk, a Brussels-based art designer, recognised leather craftswoman and material shaman.

My work brings together craftsmanship, material sensitivity and personal expression.

I trained in leather craftsmanship in Brussels and continue to develop my practice through experimentation, restoration, transformation and one-of-a-kind design.

I work directly with every client, from the first conversation to the final stitch.

Your project is not passed from department to department. It is developed and handcrafted in my own atelier, through a direct and personal dialogue between you, the material and me as the maker.

Meet the craftswoman behind the piece