Braiding leather for handbags
Ad| Jessica, before Conceria you studied Fashion Design at Universidade Estadual de Londrina and worked for four years as Product Development Coordinator for the Brazilian fashion Designer Fause Haten. How did you then come to work with braiding leather and handbags?
After 3 years developing Haten´s women luxury dresses, I was offered the opportunity of working with his leather-accessories line and I fell in love, immediately. A year later I´ve wanted to get deeper into the leather world and definitely make things happen. So, I have decided to quit and take a sabbatical year. I moved to Florence in Italy. There, I found Scuola del Cuoio where I learned how to cut, create and finish several handbags using the great traditions of Florentine craftsmanship quality.
What makes the perfect handbag for you?
The perfect handbag for me is not necessarily the most beautiful but the combination of perfect stitching and finishing in a good leather.
2012 you founded your label Conceria. There, you specialize on braiding leather. What do you like most about this technique?
I grew up watching my mother and grandmother embroidering and knitting but I never wanted to learn and thought I wasn’t able to understand and make that. One time at this course in Florence, a friend showed me a Brazilian book about braiding leather. Flipping through it, a challenging feeling grew within me and I took a chance. I made most of the types of braiding and realized I got that talent!
Which one of the bags from your collection is your personal IT-bag and why?
Conceria´s it bag is the „baú otto“ bowling bag. It is the result of a lot of hard work and study to achieve both a unique and functional shape and design. According to my costumers Otto bowling bag has a new way of braiding and also a good interior size and it is very light to carry.
Would you recommend young handbag designers to learn the leather craft?
Yes of course! Craftsmanship is sensibility, passion, it is pure art. When The artisan translates his feeling trough his hands we have the best results, additional to the high level of care and the attention to every single detail. Now we live in a mechanized world, where the artisans are getting rare. There is nothing more fulfilling than creating something and making it by your own hands.
What are your plans for the future?
In a few weeks, Conceria is debuting a new showroom and workshop in Vila Madalena, one of the most artistic and bohemian neighborhood in São Paulo. And at the beginning of September I will spread the mastery I’ve acquired these years with the new young designers, the art of leather handcrafting.
More about Conceria you can find here or on the website.
Jessica Oliveira
