The luxury market is rife with $3000 handbags with splashy logos. Strathberry is not interested in participating. Instead, the brand has excelled in what its founder calls the “attainable luxury” space. With most of its bags priced between $500 and $975, Strathberry appeals to customers seeking the same quality and craftsmanship of designer bags at a quarter of the price. Instead of paying sky-high markups for a loud logo, Strathberry fans are investing in premium leather products meticulously made by hand in Spain. A single Strathberry bag takes a minimum of 20 hours to craft—the exact opposite of fast fashion.
To learn more about Strathberry, I traveled nearly 6000 miles from Los Angeles to the Spanish town of Ubrique, where the brand makes its bags. During my trip to Strathberry’s pristine workshop, I filmed each detailed step of the bag-making process, condensing hours of craftsmanship into a 90-second TikTok. While in Spain, I also interviewed the brand’s owner and co-founder, Leeanne Hundleby, who shared with me her vision for Strathberry’s future. Scroll down to read my full interview.
Why did you choose Spain to craft your bags?
My husband and I had been living in Spain with the kids. The Spanish culture is to eat late and to have beautiful dinners where you’re just taking your time. And then along the front of the old town, we would meander on weekend nights when they set up market stalls. And we spotted the beautiful leathers that were on offer. Over time, we got chatting with the people working the stalls. After some time, they started to tell us, ‘You know, if you go up into the mountains, you can see where these craftsmen and craftswomen are.’ So we decided when we went back to Scotland that we would love to do something different with our lives. And, we thought, well, let’s see if we could make beautiful bags with beautiful leathers. And that’s how it came about.
How did you settle on the particular workshop in Ubrique where your bags are made?
Well, Ubrique was recommended to my husband, Guy, so he went to explore it and got a really good vibe. When he saw the attention to detail and the meticulous effort that went into crafting these gorgeous bags, he was blown away by the experience. He just really loved it when he went there. The individuals he met were really nice, really welcoming, very warm. And reputation. They have a brilliant global reputation as masters of their craft. The skills they have are passed down through generations and generations. You can see members of the same family work within the same workshop. It’s absolutely beautiful watching everyone in their stations at work. The workshops that we have are a real extension of us. The craftspeople go out of their way to emulate the Strathberry standards of service and exceptional quality. They make sure they deliver that for us. We’re quite particular and in turn, they’re very particular about what they are giving us.
