Introduce your brand
Hi, I’m Arkady, the founder behind Workshop Jackal. and I make leather goods that are both functional and full of character. I love shaping, dyeing, and finishing each piece by hand, creating items that are built to last and tell their own story.
I produce handcrafted leather goods ranging from impact tools like floggers and straps, to custom accessories like bowties and collars. Every piece is made from vegetable-tanned leather, carefully designed, cut, dyed, and molded by hand. I focus on creating items that are not only durable and functional but also carry personality and craftsmanship in every detail.
Introduce your brand
During the Covid pandemic, while a lot of people were picking up baking bread or doing puzzles as their new hobbies, I went in a more expensive direction. I decided to jump knee deep into leatherwork, and as one of my first projects I started with my own very first harness. I’ve always liked trying things that are hard enough to make it obvious how inexperienced I am at first, but this time it actually worked out in my favor.
I learned mostly from YouTube videos and leather forums, picking up tips and tricks as I went. Mistakes happened and lots of them: from a wrong cut to spilling dye all over my lap, but each one taught me something new about my leather process. Even now, I don't know whether its the final product I prefer or the journey of making and developing a piece... whichever it may be, every piece is unique and reflects said journey.
From there, my knowledge of the craft grew. I've spend a decade shaping leather into functional, expressive pieces and experimenting with new techniques. Those early projects set the tone for everything I make now at Workshop Jackal, where I bring those techniques and aesthetics into whatever I continue to make. At that moment in time though those facets were enjoyed only by me, and things changed when others started to raise their interest in my work.
Introduce your brand
What started as a personal hobby slowly shifted once people began noticing my aesthetic and the way I put pieces together. My impact tools (such as floggers, straps, and the more experimental stuff) started taking center stage in most of my conversations, and the creativity behind them caught more eyes than I expected. With every comment and bit of encouragement, it stopped feeling like something I was just doing for myself. The leatherworker scene in Dublin is small, so seeing something fresh stood out more than I realised, and that interest is what pushed the whole thing from a quiet pastime into a venture that hopefully pays off.
That turned to collaboration, not in the exchange of talent but in uniting interests. Sharing stories and issues relating to my craft, with advice and desires. The talks of markets and sales came to light as Dublin rarely (if ever) had any, and that prompted forth uniting makers from all across Ireland and putting them under a single roof to sell their products. I was able to take part in the K.V.M, and from a few toys that were sold I expanded my want from a one off sale to a full time endeavour.
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Introduce your brand
As things grew, I started looking beyond Dublin. The local scene is small, and while that helped me get noticed, it also made it clear that I’d eventually need to break into foreign markets if I wanted the business to evolve. That meant developing proper stock, refining my designs, and making sure the pieces I offered weren’t just good, but that they were solid enough to stand on shelves beside international makers.
So I focused on improving my craft. More research, more experimenting, late nights (a LOT of them) figuring out how to make things cleaner, stronger, or just more interesting. I started talking to other makers, building connections, and learning from people who had already navigated the markets I wanted to reach. Bit by bit, those conversations and experiments shaped where Workshop Jackal is heading now, a direction that seems to idealistic a few months ago.
Currently I’m focused on expanding Workshop Jackal’s reach, building a more consistent stock range, and continuing to refine the quality of every piece I make. I’m also connecting with more makers, shops, and communities as I work toward getting my leather further than the current limits allow.