A visit to our leather workshop: Why good leather takes time

Last week, we were back in Brandenburg at our leather manufactory.

Such visits are always something special for us. We see our bags there from a completely different perspective – not just as a finished product, but as the result of many small steps that begin long beforehand.

This time, therefore, we focused particularly on one question: Where does the leather for our bags actually come from?

From pasture to bag

We source our leather from a family-run tannery in the south of Germany. There, the journey begins long before a Lune, Ondine, or one of our other bags is made from the leather.

The hides are collected over several weeks from various farms. Nowadays, this is more complex than one might think. Many smaller dairy farms have closed in recent years, making it increasingly difficult to obtain hides of the quality and quantity we need for our bags.

Our partner therefore invests a lot of time and work into the procurement. And that is exactly something you naturally cannot see in a finished bag.

Three months before the leather arrives at our facility

From the order to delivery at our manufactory, approximately three months pass. Three months before the actual production of the bags can even begin.

Our leather is vegetable-tanned. This process also takes time and cannot be arbitrarily accelerated.

And honestly, we think that is exactly what makes it beautiful.

Because it reminds us that some things are not made to be rushed.

Leather is a natural material

We consciously use high-quality leather and want it to retain its natural characteristics. For this reason, a bag may show small differences in texture. One part might be a bit smoother, another a bit more heavily grained. Over time, the leather changes and develops its own patina.

This is not a flaw. This is leather.

For us, these very small differences are what define the appeal of a natural material. No two bags are one hundred percent alike – and that is exactly how it should be.

Why we don’t just produce more

Time and again, certain models of ours are sold out. That is precisely when one might ask: Why don't you just produce more?

The answer is quite simple: Because we cannot – and also because we don't want to.

If the right leather is not available, we cannot start another production round at short notice. And even if the leather is available, production takes time.

This is sometimes challenging, especially when many customers are waiting for a particular bag. At the same time, this is precisely part of our vision of slow fashion.

We do not want to produce large quantities just so that everything is always immediately available. We want to make bags that are created deliberately and that last as long as possible.

Why we offer pre-orders

For some of our most popular models, we therefore offer pre-orders.

When a bag is regularly sold out, you can pre-order it and thus secure a piece from the next production round. For us, this means better planning – and for you, that you don't have to hope to get your hands on a bag when the next shipment arrives.

Of course, a pre-order also means you have to wait a little while. But perhaps that is a nice thought:

A bag doesn't have to be immediately available to be the right one.

What we take away from our visit

When we visit our manufactory, we see our bags a little differently afterwards.

We no longer see just a finished bag. We see the leather that was previously collected from a farm, the many work steps in the tannery, the people who select and prepare the material, and the hands that later turn it into a bag.

And above all, we see the time that lies in between.

From the pasture to your bag, months pass.

We think that is worth knowing. Because we want to make things that aren't intended for one season, but for many years.

And perhaps that is exactly the most beautiful part of it: That something good sometimes simply takes its time.