In the earlier article: An Interview with Isaac Reina, I mentioned that the bags and small leather goods of Isaac Reina’s are handcrafted carefully in four different workshops all based in Paris and its area.
A few days ago, I’ve received an email from Mr Simon Benichou, who manages the Isaac Reina store on 12 Rue de Thorigny, he imparts to me that from 2019, Isaac Reina has included a new Spanish atelier in its production partnership:
Indeed, all our products used to be made in small workshops in or across Paris. But since last year, we developed a relationship with a workshop in a town in the south of Spain well known for their small to medium-sized leather workshops. Isaac himself went there and worked closely with their team and since then, we all work toward the same goal which is maintaining the same level of quality for all our products, whether they are made in Paris or not.
Compare with many big companies that set the factory in small towns, there are some brands like Isaac Reina decided to source craftsmen and artisans in metropolitan cities like Paris or New York. It helps to reinvigorate local crafts that are on the brink of disappearing.
For the brand itself, although the margin may shrink a little due to the higher cost of making, the business saves time from flying around the world to do quality control. Meanwhile, a network of local artisans usually has better agility to adapt to the designer’s new ideas.
