THE STORY.
Lifelong products.
Many things in life get better with time - a SILLEKNOTTE product becomes part of who you are, when taking on scuffs and memories of your everyday life. I believe that the products I create should last for many years – a lifetime even – carried and used daily, mirroring a unique and individual lifestyle. That is the spirit in which they were created.
"To celebrate the elegance of harness leather, I create simple, timeless products, which gracefully take on life."
Material.
I work solely with vegetable tanned harness leather, because of its strength, durability, colour and feel. Harness leather is steer hide which is dyed in drums and stuffed with oils and tallows. Because of its noticeable strength and firmness, harness keeps its shape well when split down thin.
This type of leather is greatly influenced by its environment and will initially change colour when exposed to sunlight. Besides black, all harness will become darker over time. Especially nature ages to a beautiful dark caramel brown and will burnish darker in places often touched.
“As a horse lover, I remember the smooth surface of the saddle and bridle, and the hours spent cleaning and maintaining the leather – the very same type of leather I work with today.” - Iben Friis Alexandersen
Craftsmanship & design.
High quality vegetable tanned harness leather is matched with simple forms, accentuating fine details, a high level of craftsmanship and the natural beauty within the material.
Using traditional leather working tools and techniques every item is handmade. The final product being as much a result of instinct as it is of education and history.
The name.
The name Silleknotte derives from a south-Danish dialect – from my grandmother Marie Petrine. She loved to watch the horse races and always chose a favourite horse. Usually that horse was the underdog – the last one. She would call that horse Silleknotte. Whether it lost or won, it was still her favourite.
SILLEKNOTTE is first and foremost the story about love and passion for harness leather. With a creative and modern approach, I endeavour to create a renewed interest in harness leather and the hand-made product. My focus is on craftsmanship and high quality materials in close companionship with Scandinavian design principles.
About.
Silleknotte is a creative leather studio at Frederiksberg (Copenhagen/DK), founded in 2011 by Iben Friis Alexandersen. Ever since, Silleknotte has designed and created products in harness leather. Every cut and every stitch is made by hand.