About Blackkat
Our Story
Owners Cassandra and Drew Archer started leatherwork in Santa Cruz, California as something they could do together out of their small garage studio. With both coming from design backgrounds, their skills took their products from a hobby into a business: Blackkat Leather. (Inspiration for the name came from their black cat Roro who was always close by in the workshop.) After moving back to the East Coast, Blackkat was re-established in Chester, Connecticut. After a few years, Cassandra directed her focus to her career in architecture and Drew continued the business downtown.
Meet the Artists
Drew Archer | Co-Founder, Designer
Drew approaches the design of all his pieces with an engineering perspective. Everything begins with a mental 3D model he then deconstructs into its individual components, working and reworking the design to resolve any flaws before he reaches for leather. His experience in civil engineering, construction, and fine arts set him up for a unique way into the industry. When he's not in the studio you may find him in his wood workshop or working on projects to restore the 1800s home he and Cassandra bought in the CT River Valley area.
Danielle Fortier | Leatherworker, Graphic Designer
Danielle's relationship to leatherwork is more 2D than 3D. With her background in graphic design from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she sees the lines before the construction. Combined with a need for practical utility, her work sits happily between function and form. She wears several hats at Blackkat including production, photography, graphic design and website development. Beyond the studio, she enjoys working on her pottery, practicing film photography and camping—occasionally at the same time.
Our Philosophy
At Blackkat we focus on the quality, sustainability, and functionality of all our products. With design influences from mid-century and contemporary minimalism, usually with a pop of color, our products are crafted with a classic aesthetic that will forever be in style. Most importantly though is the construction and longevity of each piece we produce. The highest quality materials promise a product that can be used daily without wearing out.
In this age of consumerism, fast-fashion has become the norm and quality handmade goods are few and far between. We’d like to disrupt that habit, and we thank you for your interest in doing the same.