The Hills Are Alive...

Edit 5. Machar Made Leather Designs, Emerald.

Unlike most of us, Ben Machar remains “incognito.” He has made it to 2025 without a single social media account. Somehow, he resisted the allure of the virtual world, choosing instead to immerse himself in the world of craft. While many of us spend hours scrolling through endless feeds, Ben has been elbows-deep in projects.

Forever a hobbyist, his passions have ranged from beekeeping to mead-making, welding to port blending, woodworking to perfecting fishing knots. Each pursuit capturing his curiosity, but it is the art of leather crafting that has truly consumed him.

Over the past five years, Ben’s inquisitive nature has carried him on a journey of discovery. With a long-standing interest in leather goods, he stumbled across a YouTube tutorial in 2020 and quickly ordered a starter kit online. Like many, he soon found himself with unexpected time during Melbourne’s never-ending lockdowns, and as the world slowed, Ben applied himself to honing his skills.

A turn of events in 2020, had Ben and wife Pat reconsider their cramped and busy lifestyle in Richmond, and in early 2021 they made a life-changing move, relocating their family to Emerald in the Dandenong Ranges, and it was here that Machar Made was born.

In his new home in the hills, Ben built his workshop giving him the space he needed to further evolve his skills from testing and learning to eventually transforming hides of leather into custom designs.

Ben produces wallets, knife sheaths, laptop bags, belts and bags continually expanded his skills by creating bespoke products for family and friends.

Want to explore some of Ben’s work? visit @macharmade

(Instagram account compliments of Ben’s wife Pat).