Hello, You Found Me!
Hi, I am Ahmed Ilyas, a multidisciplinary creative and entrepreneur. I am the Founder and Creative Director at Hammer & Smith, a leather design studio and retail brand that operates between Toronto, Canada and Karachi, Pakistan. At the helm of the studio, I am responsible for creative direction and product development for the brand.
With a background in marketing, management, design and a passion for craftsmanship, I also work as a Business Coach working closely with clients including founders, startups, small businesses, design houses and some of the most respected national and international brands on creative direction, brand strategy, product & services innovation, business growth and customer experience.
Outside of my work life, I am an avid marathon runner, finding focus, resilience, and inspiration in long-distance running. I love coffee which fuels both my creativity and active lifestyle — often accompanying my deep dives into topics like design, entrepreneurship, business & finance and personal development on my YouTube channel.
Follow My YouTube Channel
Though not a professional videographer or photographer. I love the medium and occasionally make Vlogs and other YouTube video about subjects like design, entrepreneurship, business & finance and personal development. You can follow the YouTube channel below.
Thoughts Of A Restless Mind
For the love of story telling I occasionally also write about various subjects as well. You can read some of the stories and blog posts I have published on our studio journal.
Timeless Originality & Simplicity
The Story Of An Owl
Studio: Behind The Scenes
Our studio is the place where all the magic happens. It serves as both our office and retail space where customers can drop by to place their orders to make purchases. It’s a space where all our creative juices start to flow, teams come together to create thoughtful and functional leather products for our customer. These are some glimpses from our studio.
Products I Loved Designing
Over the years I have designed dozens of products but there are few that I really love. Following are some of the products I really enjoyed designing and making for my studio.
Follow My Work On Social Media
I am not a big fan of social media but it has become a necessity now a days both to stay in touch with old friends and of course for work. To minimize my time on social media I tend to stick to one platform more than others. For me that is Instagram and YouTube.
Though you can also follow me on my LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter but mostly likely you wont get a response.