Delicacies
Tankai Inspired by Nature
Photos © Tankai
Map
Tuesday till Friday
10.00-14.00 and 15.00-18.00
Tankai
Berggasse 14
1090 Vienna-district 9
.How to get there
If you happen to be in tranquil Berggasse in Vienna’s ninth district, maybe to take a break in one of the cosy cafés or to visit the Sigmund Freud Museum, please stop by the shop at number 14. It is called Tankai. As soon as you step in, the outer world disappears. Enveloped by the scents of leather and citrus fruits you behold beautiful bags, accessories, and delicate scarfs in earthy colours. This is the realm of Angelika Kaspurz and Marianne Reich.
Angelika Kaspurz opened her shop in 2012 to produce and sell her hand-made leather creations. The harmonious fusion of different kinds of leather, colours, and unexpected materials have always intrigued me. And the high quality of work(wo)manship. „I work exclusively with sustainable goat-, pig-, and cowskins from the food industry, all materials come from Europe and are organically certified. I also like to use ropes because they remind me of sailing and mountain climbing. They always get me into a holiday mood, even on the greyest day. And they stay beautiful and robust in any wind and weather.“
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On request Angelika crafts bespoke bags, as well; models from her collections in different colours, for instance. Is your old favourite falling apart? No worries, you can have it replicated or mended. “Everything can be mended,“ Angelika laughs. And in case your perfect bag only exists in your imagination, she is also happy to realize your very own design.
Marianne Reich’s hand-dyed and handsewn scarfs complement Angelika’s leather bags so well that it seems like they tailor their respective collections to each other. They don’t, they assure me, it just happens that way. Angelika produces on-sight, Marianne outdoors. Marianne’s label is called La Joie de Vivre and the name says it all. It sounds like a fairy tale when she describes her way of working.
“I get up in the morning and do my rounds, collecting leaves and accepting nature’s presents. In winter I work with eucalyptus leaves, in the summer with leaves from the Vienna Woods and peony leaves from the garden. Thanks to her leafy treasures and a special printing technique she conjures lovely patterns on silk and wool. With time I have learned which leaf prints which colour on which kind of material. A green eucalyptus leaf, for instance, prints red on wool. It may also happen that the leaves of the right walnut tree print a different colour than those from the left walnut tree. I love the perfection of the imperfect in nature.“
The leaves have so much tannin that they naturally attain intense and durable colours. When purchasing her materials, Marianne is always mindful of origin and production and exclusively works with natural fibers such as silk and merino wool.
Whilst I am still under the spell of the leather scents and the soft feel of the scarf I have wrapped around myself, I notice the beautiful wooden furniture. It comes from the carpenter next door and a furniture restorer from the neighbourhood and it is also for sale. I love synergies like that! When finally I have touched, looked, and marbled at everything, I reluctantly take myself back into the outside world. I will definitely come again.
