How The Journey Begin: MSBespoke

The question that I have been asked quite a lot throughout this journey is, "How did you get started?".

Since this is my first ever blog post, I thought it would be appropriate to provide an introduction and share a little background story about the company.

MSBespoke was registered in April 2022, and it was first started as a hobby. I began leathercrafting in January 2022 as a result of being intrigued by the intricacies of watch strap making and my personal interest in watches. It has since become an outlet for me to express my creativity and pursuit of perfection. 

A Backstory

When the pandemic struck in 2021, I was given a watch by my father. I searched numerous websites and could not find a suitable leather strap to replace the watch's integrated bracelet. What happened was that I bought a regular strap and cut the lug notch to fit it in (it was not perfect but it worked).

There were not many artisans or companies that specifically produced watch straps locally. I began researching other watch strap companies across the globe and bookmarking literally dozens of them. During this time, I learned deeply about watch straps, leathercrafting, and the world of watches.

One day, I decided to try and make a watch strap for myself after acquiring my first watch, a Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic. I invested some of my scholarship funds in leathercraft tools and materials with the intention of starting a new hobby. I started crafting and fell in love with it right away.

Sadly, I had to sell my first watch in order to invest in the business. It was not much, but it allows me to slowly progress and self-teach myself through many trials and errors and gradually transition to premium tools and materials from well-known tanneries. I was growing my social media, website, and business while, at the same time, completing my undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering. It was difficult, but the leathercraft and watch communities have been surprisingly supportive. Everyone I've met along the way has been wonderful.

All of my joy stems primarily from seeing my work on other people's wrists and seeing it be appreciated. It inspires me to do my best work by having something that is specially made, something that I put my heart and soul into. That was my brief, humble beginning of how it all began. I was able to repurchase my first watch, and it will remain in my personal collection as a remembrance of this creative journey.

M. Syafiq Badrulizam

Owner and Artisan

Feel free to contact me on Instagram (@msbespoke.straps) or email at syafiq@msbespokestraps.com.