New Vendor Feature: Kamille and Jacques Deysel of South of Here Co.

“Kamille made fun of me because when we needed a fly swatter I suggested making one out of leather,” says Jacques Deysel of South of Here Co. “She said no way, but it turns out, I’m not the only one who thought of it! You can buy leather fly swatters! I don’t know if swatting flies is inspiring, but just the fact that you can use leather as a tool is.”

Jacques and Kamille Deysel of South of Here Co. Photo via their website, https://www.southofhereco.com/.

Jacques and Kamille Deysel are the married co-owners of one of ArtUs Co’s newest vendors, South of Here Co. Originally a revamp of Jacques’ candle and beard products company, Jacquesoldfashioned, South of Here Co. incorporated ethically-sourced leather from cows that pass on of natural causes into the mix, and now the two create and sell bags, wallets, candles, notebooks, belts, and jewelry, to name a few items. 

“We’re inspired so much by our southern roots and where we came from,” Kamille says of naming their new company. “Jacques and I joked that whenever someone asks where we are from we say the name ‘Brownsville’ or ‘South Africa’ or ‘San Diego’ and, most of the time, ... it’s followed up with, ‘It’s south of here, waaaaay south.’”

She adds that she has always been involved in art in some capacity throughout her life. She’s done everything from acting, set design, woodburning, painting, and more. Her interest in leather was a remnant of her childhood.

“My mom was a horse trainer growing up so I spent most of my days in the tack room doing homework or polishing bridles,” Kamille explains. “Leather was a working material to me—a necessity when working with such large animals. My appreciation for the artistry of leather came from my trips across the border [from Brownsville] to Matamoros.” 

Some of the items available for purchase from South of Here Co. at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.

For Kamille, one particular place in Matamoros comes to mind: Garcia’s, a restaurant-shop hybrid. 

“The whole shop smells like polished leather to me,” she reminisces. “There you’d find the tooled belts with traditional flowers, leather bags tooled and painted, leather drums for kids, boots, jackets, saddles, everything had a touch of leather in it. So when Jacques started doing leather, and I started working with it, inspiration came from those places—rustic and raw like a working saddle but beautiful and polished like a Mexican saddle.”

South of Here Co.’s display at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.

Jacques, native to Pretoria in South Africa, found his interest in leather a little differently.

“Leather was like a treasure to me as a kid: you had to work hard to have something that was going to last a lifetime,” he explains. “I remember when my mom bought this hideous green leather couch with the first paycheck she ever got working as a teacher. It was hideous but I loved it!” He adds that the couch still sits in her living room and that he absolutely plans to inherit it someday. “It’s meant to last, it was bought with pride, and that’s enough for me. That’s the reason I make leather pieces.”

Jacques also muses on how he never thought of himself as an artist. “My mom is the artist,” he says. “She used to take me to the open markets in South Africa every weekend to sell whatever art she’d created that week or month. She’s an amazing painter, seamstress, and visionary. ...[I figured], ‘I can’t draw a stick figure, so how could I be an artist?’ Then I got into leatherwork, and I guess I finally found my artistic bone.”

Many would agree that it was a good thing that Jacques found this “artistic bone,” because the pair have a long list of projects-to-be-made. 

“Our customers and followers have a huge say in what we make next,” Jacques says. “We get custom orders or people with their own ideas on what we could make all the time. It’s actually challenging to find the time to work on projects and inventory.” 

A closeup of one of the bags available at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.

He adds that they make smaller items such as earrings and keychains daily, while larger items, such as bags and wallets, can take up to two weeks. 

“It just depends on how much uninterrupted time we get,” Jacques says. “With a two-year-old and a newborn, uninterrupted time is hard to come by!”

With two young kids keeping them busy, as well as two full-time jobs, Jacques and Kamille are not doing South of Here Co. full-time yet, but it is eventually their goal. They also have a few ideas for what it could eventually become.

“When we think of South of Here Co’s future we see a sustainable business,” Kamille says. “We play with the idea of having a storefront or traveling pop up camper. South of Here Co. was inspired by places we’ve been, so it makes sense that it’s an experience and destination, too.”

For now, they spend their spare moments building a house on their farm in Burnet, about an hour north of Austin.

“We’re excited to raise the kids and dogs on a farm, close to the city but not in the city,” Kamille adds. “We’ll be able to work from our shop there and take care of farm life. ...In the meantime, we’ll continue growing in more shops and participating markets. One day though, more people will be able to experience South of Here Co.”

We couldn’t be happier to have Jacques and Kamille, along with their two youngin’s, as part of our vendor team!

Written by Kaiti Neuman.

Jacques Deysel with the couple’s two sons, Owen (left) and Luuk (held by Jacques). Photo courtesy of @southofhereco on Instagram.

A decorative skull and a “Scorpion Honey” candle by South of Here Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.

South of Here Co.’s full display at ArtUs Co. Photo by Kaiti Neuman.