Citizen Leather

Citizen Leather Handcrafted from recycled leather & treasured garments. Bags & cushions made from stories worth keeping. NZ Made - One of a kind - For the People
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Owner and operator, Layla Cann, has combined her love of all things Leather and Vintage with her interest in repurposing and reinventing unique Leather Bags and Accessories. Each piece is a one-off unique bag which uses the original features from the garment such as pockets and other interesting details.

​With 14 years experience creating Bespoke Up-cycled Leather Bags, the excitement of each pr

oject is just the same as the first, it’s this makers passion! Citizen Leather offers a Commission Service which allows the owner of a garment the opportunity to specify the style and overall design of their bag. We often receive jackets from passed-on loved-ones to reinvent into special ‘Memory Bags’. Layla particularly enjoys the nature of this part of the service. Citizen Leather is all about individuality, hence the name of the business, we believe your Bag & associated Stories are and must be treated as individual as the Citizen they represent. Visit us at our retail shop / workshop to discuss the possibilities in creating a piece as unqiue as you!

😊🖤💛 COME ON IN THE DOOR …………….. SATURDAY & find some Warmth, Tone & Texture 💛 Our shop windows are restocked with some ...
05/06/2026

😊🖤💛 COME ON IN THE DOOR
…………….. SATURDAY & find some Warmth, Tone & Texture

💛 Our shop windows are restocked with some glorious recycled tweed & leather patched cushions, as well as some beautiful new cotton canvas and velveteen mixes.

💛 OPEN 10-3

💛 87 TASMAN ST ~ OPUNAKE


🌞🌞🌞 Good Morning from Opunake 🩷🩷🩷How lucky are we to call this place home? Credit for this magnificent photo to This s...
30/05/2026

🌞🌞🌞 Good Morning from Opunake 🩷🩷🩷

How lucky are we to call this place home? Credit for this magnificent photo to

This stunning drone shot captures the Opunake Headlands, our township, and the mighty Maunga watching over it all. From the coastline to the CBD, it’s a pretty special corner of the world & you definitely should take time to visit and explore one day.

Our shop is open Sunday until 3pm filled with handcrafted goods, recycled leather bags, gifts, homewares and locally made treasures. Made by hands ~ not Mass made.

📍 Citizen Leather & Citizen Republic
🕙 Open today until 3pm

🌊⛰️✨

🌞🖤💛🖤 AN ABSOLUTE RIOT OF COLOUR ~ awaits your inspection this weekend in our gloriously, proudly ‘MADE BY HANDS 🙌’ sanct...
29/05/2026

🌞🖤💛🖤 AN ABSOLUTE RIOT OF COLOUR ~ awaits your inspection this weekend in our gloriously, proudly ‘MADE BY HANDS 🙌’ sanctuary 🖤💛🖤🌞

💛 From stunning felted Alpaca scarves & gloves made by local legend Helen Woolford to crocheted hats by

🖤 We also have a fresh run of the ‘Thorpe’ bag coming off the machine in recycled wool, vintage linens & of course recycled leather touches! These are a great mid sized bag with a cute curve & wear cross-body💥

I’ll be instore today 10-3 for any bookings as well🤓✂️

Keep it cool & shop local independently owned businesses here in Opunake ~ we appreciate you🌼

87 Tasman Street
Opunake
10-3

👑 KING’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND = THREE DAYS TO VISIT!We’re throwing the doors open all weekend long:Friday 10–3Saturday 10–3S...
28/05/2026

👑 KING’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND = THREE DAYS TO VISIT!

We’re throwing the doors open all weekend long:

Friday 10–3
Saturday 10–3
Sunday 10–3

Pop in for handcrafted bags, recycled leather goods, cushions, gifts, and all the unique treasures we’ve been creating in the workshop.

Made on-site in Opunake from reclaimed materials, one piece at a time.

Slow made. Not mass made.
Leather for the People.

There’s a bit of a theme happening in the window this week… SWANNDRI has returned 🐑♻️Old Swanndri wool farm wear has bee...
28/05/2026

There’s a bit of a theme happening in the window this week… SWANNDRI has returned 🐑♻️

Old Swanndri wool farm wear has been given a second life as crossbody messenger bags & cushions ~ quality NZ wool, proper character, and made right here in our Opunake workshop.

We’ve also unpacked a fresh delivery of “The Wool Bag” along with some seriously handsome leather duffels from Rugged Hide.

A good mix of rural grit, wool, leather & useful things built to last.

Pop
IN
& take a PEEK 👀

Friday & Saturday 10–3





Walking into work this morning & saw this…..our wee leather shop nestled under our Maunga, & thought how lucky we are to...
27/05/2026

Walking into work this morning & saw this…..our wee leather shop nestled under our Maunga, & thought how lucky we are to be here in Opunake living a dream we talked of over a decade ago🌞.

Happy Friday Citizens 🌞It’s been a busy few weeks in the workshop, with custom bag orders rolling through the door and p...
21/05/2026

Happy Friday Citizens 🌞

It’s been a busy few weeks in the workshop, with custom bag orders rolling through the door and plenty of new pieces being made for the shop shelves as well.✂️

Alongside the leather, we’ve also been stitching up some beautiful fabric cushions, a simple way to add a bit of colour, comfort and personality to your home & such a nice way to reset & refresh your living areas as the darker evenings arrive. Each one is made in small batches, so once they’re gone, they’re gone.

📍 Citizen Leather, Opunake
🕙 Open Friday & Saturday | 10am–3pm

Handmade, recycled, restored and ready for their next chapter.

handmadehomewares

🖤💛🖤 One HAUL-IT HOBO made to order✂️✂️✂️The jacket itself was custom made for our client decades ago, with such deliciou...
18/05/2026

🖤💛🖤 One HAUL-IT HOBO made to order✂️✂️✂️

The jacket itself was custom made for our client decades ago, with such delicious leather and so many great design features ~ it really was a great piece to create a bag from.💥

You can find more out about this style on our website through this link https://www.citizenleather.co.nz/custom-made/hikurangi-hobo




💛🖤 💛F R E S H OUT OF THE WORKSHOP💛🖤💛These leather footstools have been made from recycled couch leather and filled with ...
14/05/2026

💛🖤 💛F R E S H OUT OF THE WORKSHOP💛🖤💛

These leather footstools have been made from recycled couch leather and filled with recycled foam chips from the very same couches they once belonged to.

A pretty good example of what we mean when we say we try to use as much of the material as possible…… giving worn furniture a completely new life instead of sending it straight to landfill.

Each one is slightly different with all the lovely character, creases and patina that only recycled leather can bring.

These have a zipped base, so can also be used as a great storage piece for blankets or off-season clothing.

Made right here in our Opunake workshop.

Leather for the People!

Open this Friday & Saturday
10am — 3pm 🌊

One of last week’s workshop saves 😆I had a phone call from a wife who was absolutely at her wits end with the state of t...
11/05/2026

One of last week’s workshop saves 😆

I had a phone call from a wife who was absolutely at her wits end with the state of their light tan leather couch. Years of an engineer husband coming home from work had left it covered in dark marks, grease stains and everyday wear that just wouldn’t come clean.

So instead of fighting the colour… we changed it completely.

We’ve re-coloured and restored this piece into a much deeper tone, something far more forgiving, practical and a whole lot more sympathetic to her husband’s profession 😂

The result feels rich, lived-in and tidy again without losing the softness and character of the leather.

For this restoration we used Colourlock leather dye from our friends at European Leather Care in Petone.

People often think tired leather furniture is destined for the dump, but many pieces just need the right treatment, repair and a fresh direction.

European Leather Care Ltd


Address

87 Tasman Street
Opunake
4616

Opening Hours

Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

027 849 7541

Website

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