Entrepreneur has fashion sense in the bag

PASSION for creating and growing business brands and concepts led to the start of Katy Kruger handmade leather bags and accessories brand.

Katy Kruger was established in December 2016 by Elaine van der Westhuizen, who today employs 29 full-time staff and has two franchises (one at Irene Village Mall and the other at Hartbeespoort Village Mall).

Van der Westhuizen was impelled by her husband Werner and their four-yearold daughter, Caithlin (Katy), who is also the inspiration behind the brand’s name.

“I’m a business and marketing scholar with a long history in the marketing sector. When we started the brand, it was only with a handful of designs but as we got feedback from the public, we started to experiment with new designs.

“Progress breeds progress and that’s exactly what happened with Katy Kruger.

“As the production team started growing, they started getting involved with adding improvements to the current designs and developing new exciting designs. We believe in involving the team in the development of the company and the brand,” said Van der Westhuizen.

In less than two years since founded, Katy Kruger has seen tremendous growth.

It manufactures 40-50 bags per day and supplies more than 40 resellers across the country.

“Nothing is more satisfying than seeing your business grow daily, and that makes you want to reach more and do better. It’s unreal to see almost 30 people involved with a brand which was nothing more than a concept 18 months ago,” added Van der Westhuizen.

Katy Kruger is in the process of launching the brand in Dubai and they’re also planning on expanding it to Paris, New York and Prague. Check out @katykrugerbags on Instagram.