Project Dyad co-founders Vincent Urbain and Jessika Balzer.
Project Dyad: Merging traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design
Published: 11th Mar 2022
Project Dyad, Leather goods manufacturer, was co-founded by Jessika Balzer and Vincent Urbain. In this issue, Jessika answers our questions.
What is the inspiration for your brand/styling/concept?
Merging traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary approach to design.
We want to offer practical and functional pieces with a modern, minimalist aesthetic. For people that are looking for something different, that are design conscious and don’t want to participate in fast fashion.
Most of our inspiration comes from working hands-on with the materials in our studio and from our customers who wear the pieces in the end. As creative people we absorb many impressions around us and those can form an idea in the end.
Do you sell via social media only or do you also supply retailers?
We sell through our own online shop and physical retail store. We also supply other retailers online and physical retail stores. Social media is a vital part in building brand awareness, reaching customers and leading them to our website.
How dependent are you on the tourist trade?
Tourists have been a vital part of our customers in the past and definitely helped us scale in the first few years. With the pandemic that fell away and we concentrated on the local market predominantly and have seen a big increase in local customers, but we do hope the tourist trade will grow again. Through tourism we gained more international customers and retailers overseas, so it is important for us to reach a more global audience.
Do you manufacture locally or import?
We manufacture locally in our studio in Woodstock, Cape Town.
If you manufacture locally, are there any problems with availability of components and/or services, and what are they?
We managed to find great local suppliers for pretty much all our needs, the only thing would be a lack of diversity of the leather produced in SA, which results that almost everyone in our field uses the same leathers. I wish there would be more support for small business like ours to manufacture small run collections in different colours without having to import those leather colours or without having to order big amounts from local tanneries.
Do you need any assistance, and if so, what and from who?
One can always use assistance in marketing I would say.
It would be amazing if someone would built a trade specific platform for experienced production workers and manufacturers. Somewhere where businesses like ours could advertise available positions and workers go to look for employment or even advertise their skills. Right now the industry very much works through word of mouth but in this digital age and so many people looking for work, it could be a great tool.
Some background on you and your business:
What is the full business name, and is it a Pty Ltd, cc, sole proprietorship, trust, etc.
Project Dyad (Pty) Ltd
When did it start?
We launched in December 2016.
What is your background in footwear and/or leather goods?
I studied fashion design and started working with leather in 2012.
Approximately how many pairs and/or units per day do you produce?
Totally depends...5-15
Do you see the opportunity to increase that?
Yes sure, if we can grow our team of experienced staff.
Tools of the trade
- Bertier Customs: Handmade, to a different dimension
Shoemakers who know Jean Teplitsky genuflect when they mention his name. He, however, is quite humble. What is the inspiration for your brand/styling/concept? My inspiration is contemporary style integrated with classic techniques elevating the product to the highest level, while always trying to balance comfort, aesthetic and q ...moreHandmade Espadril: A touch of the Med
Patricia Terre is Spanish. With local Rizqah Isaacs, she co-founded Handmade Espadril in 2014. She studied fashion styling at Central Saint Martins in London and both worked in retail with first line and luxury brands for years. "We lived surrounded by some of the most exclusive brands in the world, which taught us everything we know ...moreFreedom of Movement: Aiming for a globally recognised South African lifestyle brand
Freedom of Movement, clothing, footwear, leather goods, eyewear and timepiece brand sourced locally and imported, was co-founded by brothers Brothers Léan and Roal Boezaart. In this issue, Léan answers our questions. ...more- Where quality and innovation come first, second, third...This was intended to be a one-off feature, but it's become clear that there are many more businesses - and many more takes on how to do business - than could be included in a single issue. So now the intention is to make this a regular segment in the monthly magazine. As an introduction, it seems to S&V that there are 2 parallel leath ...more
Footwear Industry Articles
- Bova Socks: The PPE layer that works inside the boot
In demanding work environments, safety footwear plays a critical role in helping workers manage workplace risks. However, the sock worn inside the boot also influences comfort, hygiene, fit and overall performance throughout the shift. This makes Bova’s sock range an essential part of a complete PPE solution.Bova high-performance so ...moreWayne's Phambili range: Practical boots from non-safety to full protection
Roodepoort, Gauteng, SA – Wayne's Phambili range combines everyday comfort, dependable durability and clearly defined levels of protection in a practical range of PVC work boots. Developed for demanding working environments, the 3-boot lineup makes it easy to choose the protection best suited to the job while delivering the comfort ...moreAn industry with distinctive material riches, unable to sufficiently convert them into finished goods in a world class way“The project’s purpose,” said Courtney Grant, “is to be a robust, evidence-based strategy to address the leather and general goods sector’s challenges and unlock its growth potential.”The main headings of her presentation were:Creating the groundwork for a National Leather and General Goods Strategy:Fro ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Nigeria’s Leather Industry: Not a clear picture
Nigeria is widely accepted as having a very large livestock population, but a relatively small tanning industry, much of it concentrated in Kano, producing high grade goat- and sheepskin crust which is exported for finishing elsewhere for use in garments.Recent articles cast some doubt on this, so are Nigeria’s hides and skins: M ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': You have to be very clever to understand this document, but hopefully it will do some goodIn June, UNIDO launched an impressive document called “Guideline”. It is a very detailed, environment oriented, technical and scientific document where the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCP) play a prominent role. The document, peer reviewed, has been developed for UNIDO with the main contributor ...moreBeyond the data trap: Why better decisions matter more than just more data
On 1st July 2026 I presented at the FILK Leather Days conference and asked the delegates to consider “Sustainability through a new lens: resetting how we view impacts in the leather value chain”. This month’s article therefore explores this idea a little more with a focus on how we view data and whether it can blind us t ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Occupational noise-induced hearing loss ‘is the most prevalent occupational disease in the world’
Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is the most prevalent occupational disease in the world*. 16% of all disabling hearing loss in adults is due to noise exposure.It’s also expensive. According to one study, it costs US$242 million in annual compensation in the USA. In the UK, the typical cost per claim in the is £ ...more2nd SA PPE conference being planned for 2027 under the heading ‘Smart protection: the next era of PPE’Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Technology, artificial intelligence, connected devices and data are transforming the way we think about personal protection equipment — from how PPE is procured and selected, to how it is used, monitored and managed in the workplace.After the successful launch of the South African PPE conference hel ...moreChina-made firefighting equipment now needs verification of conformity with SANS standardsPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Firefighting equipment is among the 25 product categories published on 01 April by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition for a mandatory Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) Programme.The system will require certain goods shipped from China to be tested and certified before they enter the ...more
© S&V Publications
