KOPINE STORY

 

CHIANG MAI

Rich in tradition, nature, and artisanal skill, Chiang Mai was the perfect place for us to settle twenty years ago.
This great Northern Thai city remains a stronghold of traditional crafts that are fading elsewhere: paper making, natural dies, pottery, bronze casting, weaving, carpentry, knife making, cement shaping, and wood carving all still thrive here.
Its slower pace of life is part of its charm — unlike many coastal cities in Thailand, Chiang Mai has (so far) avoided the extremes of mass tourism.

NON-VIOLENCE

Living among people deeply rooted in a culture of respect and non-violence inspired us to create original products that support a kinder world.
Our decision to find an alternative to animal leather was born from this respect — a response to the global overexploitation of animals.
We draw inspiration from many sources, including Polynesian culture and the aesthetics of Medieval France.
Our focus is on renewable materials and processes that are low-impact and environmentally mindful.

BARK-LEATHER

Our bark fiber leather is made entirely by hand through a detailed, multi-step process:
It starts with the Paper Mulberry tree (Broussonetia Papyrifera), a species long used in Asia and the Pacific — for Japan’s Washi paper and Polynesia’s Tapa fabric.
These bark fibers are long, strong, and ideal for our purposes.

We form the fibers into handmade sheets, similar to traditional paper-making. Once dried, the sheets are layered into a “sandwich” structure using natural latex glue.
This composite is pressed with a roller to emboss the texture, then left to dry.

PATINAS

Different patinas require different techniques:
Bark-leather can be dyed at various stages to create unique effects.
We often use acrylic paints to highlight surface patterns, followed by a careful hand-waxing to give the signature finish.
Each product is decorated individually, ensuring no two are exactly alike. You may share your preferences when ordering — while we can’t promise exact color matches, we always aim for beauty and harmony.

We work exclusively with mineral waxes, subtly tinted with iron oxide pigments to create our patinas.

CRAFTING

Finally, the bark-leather is cut, shaped, and assembled into beautiful, long-lasting creations.