Leather men
Madrid brand relies on professional skills and tools to turn out exquisite products of the highest quality, writes Vivian Chen
The hammers and chisels in the hands of craftsmen working at Loewe's atelier in Getafe, Madrid, would be equally at home in the display cases at the brand's heritage museum showcasing objects ageing gracefully for the past 160 years or so.
Many of the owners of these antique tools are veterans who have worked with the crème de la crème of Spanish exports.
"I learned the skills 40 years ago, and I'm still putting them to good use. There are just things that machines can't do," says Florencio Ledo, an artisan in his 43rd year with the company.
High-quality leather, master craftsmen of Ledo's generation and a consistent reference to the brand's Spanish culture and tradition are the pillars of Loewe's philosophy. Born in 1846 as a small leather goods workshop in the heart of Madrid, the brand quickly launched to fame with its exquisite leather products.
High-standard quality control covers grading, cutting, construction, stitching and polishing the leather. Sourcing leather only from the best domestic tanneries such as Inpelsa and Colomer y Munmany, Loewe is famous for its cordero entrefino Español - lambs bred in the cool heights of the Spanish Pyrenees. Leather as thin as 0.7mm is then organically dyed, buffed and polished with glass cylinders for the ultrasoft, silk-like feel.
Following an internal grading protocol, leather coming from the tanneries are inspected carefully by artisans. As they cut the leather into patterns, the craftsmen also highlight spots of mild imperfection to be concealed during the manufacturing. The experienced craftsmen construct bags by hand.