Tote-ally Timeless

From accident to artistry, Adrian Fürstenburg crafts handbags that outlast trends, blending African roots, Italian tradition, and Asian innovation.

- Words: Amos Chin

HANDBAGS ARE MORE than accessories.

For some, they are heirlooms; for others, an extension of identity. Handbag designer Adrian Fürstenburg, however, regards them as vessels of memory and legacy.

His first creation, in fact, was born by accident and became the foundation of his career. In 2006, while studying textile design, Fürstenburg was in a car accident that left him with a severe shoulder injury. “I couldn’t complete the silkscreen printing required for my degree,” he recalls. “I had to pivot to a weaving project instead.”

The result was a painstakingly hand-dyed houndstooth fabric, woven over countless hours. “I knew it had to become something special. That is how my first handbag came to life. Out of a difficult moment came the beginning of everything.”

Fürstenburg grew up outside Johannesburg in a family of contrasts: a farmer father, a cabin-crew mother, and a household that bridged earth and sky. “That gave me a unique perspective,” he says. “A deep understanding of the land, animals, and nature, balanced with the wonder of international travel.”