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REAL MAKER PROFILE · İSTANBUL / KARTAL

Mert Başbuğ Strawderi

Learning by making, sharing what you learn.

Leather experiments that began with making a gift grew into products, workshop gatherings and a place where others can learn to make. We get to know Mert through his craft and the path he built around it.

Hear Mert tell his storyVisit Strawderi
Actual workshop photograph of Mert Başbuğ demonstrating leather stitching to participants
Mert Başbuğ · Demonstrating stitching in a leather workshop.

FROM A NEED TO A CRAFT

Strawderi’s story

  1. A first need

    A gift idea

    In his founding account, Mert describes experiments that began in 2015 while looking for a leather backpack for his partner. Unable to find what he wanted, he sketched, researched and learned by making smaller pieces first.

  2. 2017

    A door into an atelier

    His account describes support from Tasarım Atölyesi Kartal and a workspace in the red TAK Kondu container. Support helped an individual experiment develop into an ongoing craft.

  3. Since 2018

    Opening knowledge to others

    His workshops introduce materials, tools, cutting and hand stitching. Participants see more than a finished object: they try making one with their own hands.

  4. Today

    Products, kits and learning

    Strawderi’s atelier in Kartal, İstanbul offers handmade goods alongside DIY kits, introductory workshops and longer training programmes.

Read Mert’s original founding account ↗

BENBIZ’S PERSPECTIVE

An example of moving from me to us.

What resonates with BenBiz is how developing a personal skill can also create room for other people to learn. This relationship between making and sharing is why we see Mert as a valuable role model.

Learning by making

Start with a need and an experiment, then develop skill through time and work.

Sharing what you learn

In his founding story, Mert describes sharing information he had struggled to find when starting out.

Making room for others

Receiving support, sustaining a craft and helping beginners find their own path.

HIS OWN VOICE, HIS OWN ATELIER

Watch Mert and his craft.

These existing films come from Strawderi’s own YouTube channel. Begin with his story, then take a closer look at the handwork.

How Strawderi began

Mert tells his story · CNN Türk, Üretim Zamanı · 15 February 2026

Watch on YouTube ↗

Inside the atelier: making a leather wallet

Strawderi’s atelier and handcraft film

Watch on YouTube ↗

Learning to make wallets and cardholders

A making tutorial from Strawderi’s own channel

Watch on YouTube ↗
Explore more Strawderi videos ↗

ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS, REAL PRODUCTS

From Mert’s atelier.

36 physical products and kits are on BenBiz Store with their original Strawderi names, photographs and options. Prices shown here were checked at the source on 12 October 2026.

BenBiz sales, orders and payments are closed. A product’s photograph or name opens its Strawderi page, where visitors can complete a purchase if they wish.

See all 36 products in the market

KNOWLEDGE IS A SHARED VALUE TOO

Learn by trying the craft.

Mert’s workshops offer room to understand the material and try your own handwork. Kits support experimenting at home; in-person workshops and longer programmes support learning together.

Read Mert’s account of his workshop approach ↗