The Making of Cartelle
A journey through India, a shared love of design and the beginnings of a British leather notebook brand. Here's how Cartelle came to life.
Cartelle began with a trip to India and a shared love of design.
We're Kim and Jasmine, a mother-and-daughter team with backgrounds in digital, design and events.
In early 2026, we'd both come through a challenging period and decided to spend a month travelling through India together for some much-needed perspective.
India is like nowhere else. The layers of history, the rich culture, and design inspiration everywhere - from a hand-painted sign on a rickshaw, to the pattern on a silk sari, to the marble inlay at the Taj Mahal during a sunrise visit.
Jasmine had started journaling back in London as a way of working through a difficult breakup, while Kim had often kept travel journals on journeys around the world. So naturally we spent time during our trip writing down ideas, observations and sketches, carrying rather battered notebooks in our rucksacks.
From an idea to a Companion
Somewhere along the way, we became interested in the growing popularity of personalised leather notebooks. We loved the idea of a beautiful leather cover that could be kept for years, with interchangeable notebooks inside.
We saw an opportunity to approach the design differently, with a more contemporary aesthetic, thoughtful details, and British manufacturing at its heart. We started talking about creating a business together.
Back in the UK, we began researching materials, manufacturers and the practicalities of developing our own product. Gradually, the Cartelle Companion began to take shape.
Making it happen
The next few months involved a lot of research, samples and decisions.
We sourced full-grain vegetable-tanned leather from Tuscany and worked with British manufacturers to develop the covers. We found Calverts, an independent printing cooperative in Hackney, to produce our notebook refills.
We were very particular about the quality of the materials and spent a great deal of time working through the smaller design details.
Between us, we brought experience in digital design, user experience, branding and events. We wanted to apply that thinking to the whole Cartelle experience, from the practical details of the leather cover and pocket design, to the way customers choose and personalise their own Companion.
That led to the Cartelle Studio, our online product builder, where you can explore leather colours, cords, embossing and talismans to create your own combination.
A new chapter
Cartelle is a family-founded British brand, created with the help of a growing group of talented makers, designers and creative collaborators.
We've taken inspiration from traditional craftsmanship, bringing our own contemporary approach to the design and experience of owning a personalised notebook.
We're looking forward to seeing where it goes.