All work03 / 26Independent collection

Made by hand

A foundation in making. A perspective that carries into every medium.

Role: Footwear & leather goods
Credits: Product design and handcraft by Ryan Eickhoff. Selected photographs from the product portfolio; the hi-top studio image is retouched for presentation.

Handcrafted blue crocodile-embossed and orange leather attaché with green closure — Eclectic attaché. Blue crocodile-embossed leather, orange lambskin and a green saffiano accent.

Learning through the material.

Formal trainingSavannah College of Art and Design

Accessory design
Formal training in footwear, handbags and small leather goods.

These pieces are where the way I think as a designer becomes tangible. I designed and handcrafted each one, working across footwear, handbags and small leather goods.

My formal training in accessory design at Savannah College of Art and Design gave me a foundation in translating ideas into physical form. Engineered laser-cut patterning, hand stitching and trapunto connect graphic expression to the practical decisions that make an object hold together.

That foundation continues to inform my work in brand identity and creative direction. I consider how an idea behaves in different materials and at different scales, how its parts relate, and what someone experiences when they use it.

Editorial photograph of handmade footwear worn beside a painted tire — Selected footwear from the handmade collection.

A maker’s perspective

From the drawing to the object.

A letter can become a cutout. A fold can become the structure. A color choice changes when it moves from paper to leather. Making keeps those relationships visible and gives me a physical reference point for decisions I now make across brands, campaigns and environments.

Handbags · Color & material

Eclectic attaché

Inspired by Henri Matisse’s use of color and shape, this attaché combines blue crocodile-embossed leather, orange lambskin and a neon-green saffiano accent. Trapunto, a technique that gives the leather raised dimension, makes the surface part of the composition. The interior and handle details show how that expressive exterior is resolved as a usable object.

Close-up of trapunto detailing and green closure on the attaché — Trapunto detailing and the attaché closure.

Blue crocodile-embossed leather handle and flap construction — Handle and flap construction in crocodile-embossed leather.

Interior pocket and orange leather trim inside the Eclectic attaché — Inside the attaché: the pocket, lining and orange trim.

Handbags · Lettering & construction

Hybrid drawstring bag

This piece combines a drawstring opening with a top handle, athletic buckles and leather ties. Hunter-green grainy cowhide contrasts with a black lambskin interior. The raised “Smoke Me” lettering nods to 1990s Nike and Spike Lee advertising. Here, typography is built into the material itself: the letterforms have volume, edges and a relationship to the bag’s structure.

Front view of the handcrafted hunter-green hybrid bag with Smoke Me trapunto lettering — Hybrid drawstring and top-handle bag. Hunter-green cowhide with raised leather lettering.

Raised leather lettering, stitching and handle construction on the green hybrid bag — Trapunto lettering, hand-finished edges and handle construction.

Interior construction and leather drawstring of the green hybrid bag — Black lambskin interior and leather drawstring detail.

The side profile reveals the bag’s depth and folded construction.

Athletic buckles and leather drawstrings on the hybrid bag — Athletic buckles and leather drawstrings bring two closure systems together.

Leather goods · Folding & restraint

Origami clutch

One piece of patent metallic leather and four hand stitches form this clutch. The fold carries both the shape and the construction, while the reflective surface makes every change of plane visible. It is an exercise in how much a single material can do when the geometry is resolved carefully.

Fold and hand-stitch detail on the metallic origami clutch — Fold construction held together with four hand stitches.

The folded leather creates a compact edge profile.

Leather goods · Structure & contrast

Box clutch

A compact box silhouette pairs an athletic buckle with an emerald satin lining. The laser-cut handle includes openings for a crossbody strap. The contrast between the exterior and the interior turns opening the bag into part of the design, while the handle brings carrying and construction into one detail.

Handcrafted box clutch opened to reveal emerald satin lining — Box clutch with emerald satin lining, buckle closure and a laser-cut handle.

Handbags · Pattern & personality

Up in the Air

The familiar briefcase becomes a canvas for engineered laser-cut patterning, hand stitching and expressive lettering. “Up in the Air” is worked into the front pocket, giving a functional component its own graphic character. Studio and on-body views show the relationship between the surface detail and the overall proportion.

Up in the Air briefcase with laser-cut lettering across its front pocket — “Up in the Air” briefcase: lettering and perforation integrated into the front pocket.

Three-quarter view of the handcrafted Up in the Air briefcase — A three-quarter view of the pocket, handle and body.

Footwear · Loafers

So High

A loafer silhouette carries laser-cut lettering, mesh and holographic accents, with a vivid pink interior. The side view reveals how the graphic language follows the shape of the shoe. Perforation and contrasting panels give each part a distinct role within the whole.

Side view of So High loafers showing cut lettering and contrasting panels — Side view of the laser-cut lettering, mesh and contrasting panels.

Footwear · Hi-tops

Just Burn It

Ankle straps, rubber toe-cap splash guards and hot-pink lining give these hi-tops their character. Reflective accents and pink mesh create a shared material language with the other footwear. The front and side views reveal how those choices wrap around the form.

Front view of Just Burn It hi-tops with pink mesh and ankle straps — Original front-view photograph of the ankle straps, pink mesh and toe guards.

Footwear · Engineered lettering

Laser-cut derbies

Precise, engineered laser-cut elements bring lettering into a lace-up derby. The “Blaze It or Wing It” treatment continues through the sole design, making the underside part of the visual story. It reflects an approach I still use: considering the less obvious surfaces as carefully as the first impression.

Editorial photograph showing the graphic soles of the handmade derby shoes — The graphic treatment continues underfoot.

Handmade derby shoes with pink laces and engineered laser-cut lettering — Derby shoes with engineered laser-cut lettering.

Rear view of handmade derbies with cut lettering and pink laces — Rear view of the cut lettering and contrasting sole layers.

Footwear · Platform sandals

Flight

Adjustable ankle straps sit above a stacked sole, with holographic accents, black patent-leather lettering and a hot-pink insole. The platform gives the silhouette height, while the open construction exposes the layers and connections. The on-body photograph brings scale and styling into the study.

Front view of handmade Flight sandals with platforms and ankle straps — Studio view of the platform construction and adjustable ankle straps.

Rear view of Flight sandals showing lettering and strap construction — Lettering and layered materials continue around the back.

From objects to identities

What making brings to my design practice.

The medium has expanded, but these habits remain. I approach a brand system with the same attention I bring to a constructed object: a clear idea, a relationship between its parts, and care in how it is experienced.

Form has to carry the idea.

A strong silhouette makes an object recognizable. In identity work, I look for that same clarity in a mark, a type system or the overall shape of a composition.

Details belong to a system.

The cut lettering, linings and closures work together. That relationship informs how I build brands: individual decisions should reinforce a recognizable whole across applications.

The finish is part of the experience.

A lining, a fold or a handle changes how an object feels in use. I bring that attention to the final expression of a design, from a printed piece to an environment or a screen.

All work

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