About Kender
Small enough to veer off course. Big enough to know better. Reckless enough to do it anyway.
At Kender, we philosophically nestle ourselves between your hobby brands, often found on Etsy, and larger brands, typically producing offshore. While both of these have their place, it is not our place.
“It’s not the destination, but the journey” they say, and we agree! Kender has always been about creating beautiful things.
Our journey started when we introduced our line of unique travel pieces in 2013, known as the Kenderbag collection. Our founder, Kelly Tretter, ventured out to create elegant yet functional bags designed for the discerning traveler who sought utility with a luxurious vibe.
Designed in Los Angeles and crafted in Europe, these bags made the actual traveling part of travel, a bit more fun. Unexpectedly, in 2017, we lost our production partner and being unable to replace them, we decided to put our flagship collection “on hold.”
The next stop in the Kender journey is our new, beloved Knapsack, which we introduced in 2020.
A departure from our complex travel products, THE Knapsack allows us to experiment with different elements, unexpected color combinations and natural leathers without getting too serious.
We moved our workshop to Bend, Oregon and now we can play all day! THE Knapsack is truly a labor of love in every way.
We hope this is where you join us on our journey. While the future is unknowable, we suspect it is going to be filled with beautiful things.