It's in the bag: A trip to St. John's leather manufacturer Ragmaw

Taking the steps up to Ragmaw's Water Street studio in St. John's, you're unsure of what to expect.

As the studio door lists open, a glow of white sunshine and colourful bliss break through … quickly followed by the bright smile of designer and owner Megan Jackman.

You cannot miss the warm, comforting smell of leather.

Immediately following its launch in 2013, Ragmaw's bags and purses drew a reputation locally — and soon enough began to reach across the country.

Now, with multiple craftspeople contributing to the production of these bags, Megan still hand-draws the designs for each fabric art piece used, and oversees the final assembly of every bag at her studio in downtown St.John's.

The gorgeous sun-filled studio at 175 Water St. is stocked with an abundance of beautiful bags on display. It is very much so the perfect setting to take photos. [You can find photos of Ragmaw's beautiful bags and Megan's fascinating designs on the company's gorgeous Instagram account.]

Peering beyond the clean, white walls of showroom, you can catch a glimpse of where the artistic magic happens: Megan's workspace.

With leather colour samples for the coming season strewn across the bench, leather straps ready for assembly and a coffee cup still steaming, it's clear the creative process is forever ongoing, and full of true passion.

Having learned her sewing and leatherwork skills while spending time with her grandparents as a child, it's clear that the creation of Megan's bags for Ragmaw come with a special kind of attention to detail, and an enduring love for the art.

With everything from clutches to totes, Ragmaw has a bag to suit different aesthetic and practical desires.

We fell for the cute crossbody bags and clutches — but with so many patterns and sizes, it was so hard to resist taking them all home. 

We love the unique approach to these bags; the interesting combination of Megan's colourful printed art and the soft, though hearty nature of the leathers used.

They're functional, playful and ready for an adventure. 

These bags have a way of complementing the rugged yet beautiful and serene nature of Newfoundland, and we can't help but feel that Megan intentionally made them that way, almost as an homage to Newfoundland.

These bags are the ones that — a lot like our island — will stick by your side no matter the weather, and follow you wherever you go. Once you've had the pleasure of owning one, you won't be able to shake your love for it.

About Ally 

Find more stories from Ally (it's pronounced like "allies," which is how Jess and Lauren see themselves) at their website, including more photos from their photo shoot at Ragmaw. 

You can follow them on Instagram at @friendandally, and on Facebook as @allybloggers.