In our small workshop, we craft personalized leather and canvas goods designed for everyday life.
Founder Story
From a corporate career to a workshop.
Craftsmanship has fascinated me since childhood. I’ve always loved making things with my hands.
Before starting Semique, I spent 13 years building a career in sales, marketing and management at a global company. Life was comfortable, but something was missing.
After a knee surgery, I found myself at home watching YouTube when I came across people crafting leather goods by hand. I remember thinking: “I can do this.”
So I taught myself everything from scratch, slowly learning the craft on my own.
What began as a hobby slowly grew as people around me started asking for the pieces I was making. As orders increased, my mother and my late father, whose vision and experience played a big role in shaping the philosophy of our workshop, joined the journey. Over time, Semique gradually became a small family workshop.
At 34, I walked away from my corporate career to build Semique with my own hands.
Yılmaz - Founder & Artisan, Semique
The Story of Semique
Never meant to be mass-produced — and never will be.
Semique is a small family workshop.
The name Semique has a special story behind it. It comes from Selim, the founder Yılmaz’s son. When he first started talking, he used to call himself “Semik.” That small moment stayed with the family, and eventually it became the name of the brand.
What began as a personal hobby slowly evolved into a small family-run workshop where we design and craft our own leather and canvas goods. As the workshop grew, more family members and friends became part of the journey.
Every product is handmade in our workshop, using our own designs, and almost each piece can be personalized for the person who will use them.
Today, Semique remains a small workshop focused on making things by hand. Semique was never meant to become a mass-production brand, and it never will be.
