Character, Soul and Purpose

I have been crafting all sorts of products with leather for over a decade - from simple key fobs to handbags with over 1000 individual pieces. The great joy of bringing a design to life with my own two hands has sent me on an unexpected journey filled with thousands of hours of work, incredible learnings, explorations across the world of leather and tanneries as well as foundational knowledge about what makes a product truly unique and worthy of our time, efforts and our hard earned money. Little would I have had believed back in 2012 in my student flat in Nürnberg that crafting the first leather belts would be the starting point for a mission to building the most rugged yet elegantly designed leather goods collection with its roots in German engineering, quality and craftsmanship and that would inspire so many people around the world seeking a product with character, soul and purpose. 

The most foundational knowledge and experience to build durable products that can withstand the test of time is a deep understanding of the triangular relationship between the craft, the material and the design. If a company developing products lacks experience in any of these three areas it won’t be able to build products that last. In my opinion most products are too much focused on design or in some cases functionality, which of course fulfills the purpose of what the product is being used for but if the craft and material invested into the product cannot uphold its promise of providing excellent quality than all design and functionality is pointless over the very fact that the product's longevity is compromised. Having said that many brands are following a short cut to run a business purely aiming at turning a profit, while only a few are building a foundation to create a legacy that will live on through its products and that drives the business forward. Over time those businesses will remain that pursued the noble path of investing their time and resources into building products of character, soul and purpose and strictly following the triangular secret to durable products.

There is a compelling reason why Germany is known for its quality products. We Germans take the necessary time to reach perfection in building something. We also come up with norms and standards for quality (DIN = Deutsche Industrie Norm) that are even exported worldwide. Quality is deeply rooted in our culture and a mindset that distinguishes us from others. It is not something that helps us being fast but being thorough. It is linked with our understanding of time. We value our time. We like to be punctual and in line. And with it we also value other people’s time. Something you hardly find anywhere else. Throughout my life I have travelled the world, lived abroad in various countries, experienced the nuances of managing a living and interacting with people of different cultural backgrounds. When I boil it down to assess quality, I always come back to the same conclusion. The meaning of quality is not evenly distributed across the world. Which also means telling someone of different cultural background to build something of quality related to ones own culture and understanding of quality is a very difficult task. So what exactly is German quality afterall in the meaning of our own cultural interpretation. I say it is an image of perfection. We know it is impossible to reach but we are obsessed with pursuing it and through that pursuit we create products of unmatched quality. There is that joke where we say good enough is the little brother of bad. I believe that offers an easy angle to look at this subject. Maybe we are a little crazy about it, but that is what makes many of our products stand out. We can also look at it from an angle of valuing time as highlighted earlier. If we believe it is worthy of our time to invest great efforts in perfecting something it surely is worthy of your time as well. Quality is a medium of transaction. It is based on trust. For something to be of quality somebody has to care about it in the first place. German manufacturing is the pinnacle of caring for quality and this is what carries value. “Handmade in Germany” is not just a matter of origin. It is a seal of virtue and an assurance that it was cared for in the best possible way. If it fails to deliver what it promised, we take it personally because we personally care about it.

The world truly does not need any more products. This may sound ironic coming from a luxury brand that produces durable rugged leather goods. However, there is a noble cause in the pursuit of producing something that will last for a long time. There is the saying: If you buy cheap you buy twice and it is true. Quality products will always have a significantly higher return on use and lifetime than a cheaply made product. With the goal in mind that one's products must last a lifetime and that it is the company’s responsibility to maximize efforts to select the best and most suitable materials and use the most robust construction methods a noble cause can be followed even in a time of overproduction.

I have become ruthless with quality over the time. Only the very best is acceptable. Everything below does not make sense and is not worthy of the materials used nor the money paid for by the customer. It is destined to fail and for me this means a double failure. Failing to make my customers happy and failing to responsibly use materials our planet has offered up for it.