atelier boem’s story evolves around family heritage, a fascination for quality and the strive for perfection.
I am Katharina Ilker and I established atelier boem in 2017 to keep the handicraft tradition in the family, as my grandpa Paul Böhm
entrusted our family with his 30 year old studio. A true artist himself, Paul Böhm sadly passed away in 2009, passing on his passion
to me and my mother Ina. Our artisanal atelier is named after him: boem.
OUR STORY
Three Generations
Of Artisans
atelier boem’s story evolves around family heritage, a fascination for quality and the strive for perfection. I am Katharina Ilker and I established atelier boem in 2017 to keep the handicraft tradition in the family, as my grandpa Paul Böhm entrusted our family with his 30 year old studio. A true artist himself, Paul Böhm sadly passed away in 2009, passing on his passion to me and my mother Ina. Our artisanal atelier is named after him: boem.
“In our atelier we create luxurious leather objects, that are made by hand from beginning to end
with a core focus on precise craftsmanship and timeless designs.“
“In our atelier we create luxurious leather objects, that are made by hand from beginning to end with a core focus on precise craftsmanship and timeless designs.“
Katharina & Ina Ilker
My professional career started out in the fashion industry. Growing up I have always been fascinated by the glamorous world of fashion, browsing through catalogues for hours, or cutting out magazine campaigns to create my own moodboards. Guided by that fascination, I completed a 4 year long Technical Clothing Degree and a 1 year long Pattern Making Education in Hamburg, Germany. After my professional studies, I gained work experience in the field of clothing production, product development and fashion retail.
Having worked for fashion companies in London, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Los Angeles, there were some reoccuring observations, that would leave me wondering:
The massive amount of clothing being produced every season, that just ended up being overstock in the warehouses. Was this really the right way to produce with all that waste of material and resources?
The ever present pressure to design and produce faster. How were you supposed to create greatness, if you didn’t have the time to perfect the design and if you couldn’t use the best production techniques, in order to save money?
The amount of bad quality and customer complaints. Why was the perfection of quality not the ultimate goal of every product producing company?
I founded atelier boem in 2017 with the vision to change these issues and to preserve the heritage my grandpa had passed down to us.
My mom Ina has been on the journey with me from the very beginning as my biggest support and fellow leather craftswoman. My grandpa Paul Böhm was her father, so she picked up a lot of things from him, which is probably one of the reasons she is the most hands-on, crafty person I know. While we built up our first atelier in Hamburg together, the main atelier has now moved to Berlin. Although we sadly don’t work together everyday anymore, we still join forces on a lot of projects and regularly plan work visits to Berlin.
My leather craft skillset is based on my educational background and the never ending quest for perfectionism and quality. I have also been fortunate enough to have found my mentor in Peter Nitz, who I got to train with in Zurich in 2019.
Katharina & Ina Ilker
My professional career started out in the fashion industry. Growing up I have always been fascinated by the glamorous world of fashion, browsing through catalogues for hours, or cutting out magazine campaigns to create my own moodboards. Guided by that fascination, I completed a 4 year long Technical Clothing Degree and a 1 year long Pattern Making Education in Hamburg, Germany. After my professional studies, I gained work experience in the field of clothing production, product development and fashion retail.
Having worked for fashion companies in London, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Los Angeles, there were some reoccuring observations, that would leave me wondering:
The massive amount of clothing being produced every season, that just ended up being overstock in the warehouses. Was this really the right way to produce with all that waste of material and resources?
The ever present pressure to design and produce faster. How were you supposed to create greatness, if you didn’t have the time to perfect the design and if you couldn’t use the best production techniques, in order to save money?
The amount of bad quality and customer complaints. Why was the perfection of quality not the ultimate goal of every product producing company?
I founded atelier boem in 2017 with the vision to change these issues and to preserve the heritage my grandpa had passed down to us.
My mom Ina has been on the journey with me from the very beginning as my biggest support and fellow leather craftswoman. My grandpa Paul Böhm was her father, so she picked up a lot of things from him, which is probably one of the reasons she is the most hands-on, crafty person I know. While we built up our first atelier in Hamburg together, the main atelier has now moved to Berlin. Although we sadly don’t work together everyday anymore, we still join forces on a lot of projects and regularly plan work visits to Berlin.
My leather craft skillset is based on my educational background and the never ending quest for perfectionism and quality. I have also been fortunate enough to have found my mentor in Peter Nitz, who I got to train with in Zurich in 2019.
Inspiration
My biggest inspiration is the constant strive for the highest quality and best workmanship possible. New and existing designs constantly evolve with my own skillset and experience. With the amount of time and knowhow, that goes into each product, I perceive our products as artisanal works of art. And like any art piece, they reflect the skills and the soul of the maker.
For boem’s design aesthetic I like to think of luxury basics, that embody calmness and a sense of ease. These ideas are transported through minimalist designs and well thought out proportions. I definitely follow a less is more approach, I don’t think you need 20 different bags. What I would hope for boem pieces to become, is, that they will grow into core pieces as a part of one’s style identity. I have actually been obsessed with this idea my whole life: Having high quality pieces in your wardrobe, that you wear all the time, design classics, that are timeless and destined for a lifetime of wear.
For visual boem inspiration, please visit our Pinterest and Instagram profile.
Inspiration
My biggest inspiration is the constant strive for the highest quality and best workmanship possible. New and existing designs constantly evolve with my own skillset and experience. With the amount of time and knowhow, that goes into each product, I perceive our products as artisanal works of art. And like any art piece, they reflect the skills and the soul of the maker.
For boem’s design aesthetic I like to think of luxury basics, that embody calmness and a sense of ease. These ideas are transported through minimalist designs and well thought out proportions. I definitely follow a less is more approach, I don’t think you need 20 different bags. What I would hope for boem pieces to become, is, that they will grow into core pieces as a part of one’s style identity. I have actually been obsessed with this idea my whole life: Having high quality pieces in your wardrobe, that you wear all the time, design classics, that are timeless and destined for a lifetime of wear.
Vision
My vision for boem is to build a young luxury brand, based on the crafting of elevated, luxurious essentials and the fostering of personal, genuine customer relationships. I think it is very important to communicate luxury in a highly transparent way. What details went into the making of these products? And what skilled hands have been crafting them? What is it, that the customer is paying for?
In our case it is artisanal products made from the most exceptional materials, impeccable craftsmanship and a traditional atelier experience. For boem it will never be about producing more products faster. Our definition of Luxury is slowness and a sense of peace embodied into a product.
On a personal level, I have always been passionate about bringing quality into other peoples lives and through that doing my small part into making their lives more delightful. There is so much beauty in true quality and I am so happy to pass on that passion, the same way it was passed on to me.
Vision
My vision for boem is to build a young luxury brand, based on the crafting of elevated, luxurious essentials and the fostering of personal, genuine customer relationships. I think it is very important to communicate luxury in a highly transparent way. What details went into the making of these products? And what skilled hands have been crafting them? What is it, that the customer is paying for?
In our case it is artisanal products made from the most exceptional materials, impeccable craftsmanship and a traditional atelier experience. For boem it will never be about producing more products faster. Our definition of Luxury is slowness and a sense of peace embodied into a product.
On a personal level, I have always been passionate about bringing quality into other peoples lives and through that doing my small part into making their lives more delightful. There is so much beauty in true quality and I am so happy to pass on that passion, the same way it was passed on to me.
Traditional French Luxury Craft
Made in a traditional atelier atmosphere, where every step is done by hand, our leather goods
are a work of artisanal art. We specialise in the traditional french leather craft, which was
primarily established by Hermès in the 1900s. Today only Hermès itself
and a small amount of ateliers around the world continue to keep the leather artisanship alive.
Traditional French
Luxury Craft
Made in a traditional atelier atmosphere, where every step is done by hand, our leather goods are a work of artisanal art. We specialise in the traditional french leather craft, which was primarily established by Hermès in the 1900s. Today only Hermès itself and a small amount of ateliers around the world continue to keep the leather artisanship alive.
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