You can find the previous chapter here.
Handbags and other leather goods made of quality materials by good craftsmen will age gracefully and get even more beautiful with time. Although it is all right to simply use leather goods - it’s even better to take good care of them. Both as a user and as a creator.
We believe that our responsibility does not end when our products are out of the door. Our extended post-sale support is based on our commitment to our products - at every stage of their life cycle. Our mission is to create the most durable things that will provide many years of service and joy to their owners.
This is important not only because of our pride but also due to our need to take responsibility for the products and their environmental impact.
Sadly, increasing quantities of clothing and accessories are simply thrown away worldwide. What’s even worse, the majority of such waste ends up in landfills, is not recycled and often becomes one of the sources of micro-plastic polluting our oceans.
This sad reality was brought about by a number of drivers:
Seasonality - the ever-changing trends, powered by fast fashion, are ruthless to anything that isn’t a true classic. In result, numerous products “fall out of fashion”, become passé, gather dust in wardrobes and end up in landfills.
Overproduction - large clothing brands produce such gargantuan quantities that some of their products can’t even reach the final user. The unsold products - after numerous sales - are recalled and landfilled or burned.
Low quality - cheaply produced goods wear out quickly, age badly and rip easily. They are also difficult to resell when redundant which makes throwing them out the only option.
Low repairability - even well-produced goods may exhibit faults or small blemishes that can prove difficult to repair; such as a broken zipper, a tear or scratches. Many producers offer no support and the number of independent leather workers is shrinking which forces many users to buy new products and discard the old ones.
Our goal is to counteract all these trends.
Firstly, we believe in classic design. Our bags, wallets and belts are designed to withstand the test of time. They are designed to simply look good. All our models remain available for many years, they do not go out of fashion and are resistant to changing trends.
Secondly, we produce only as much as we need. Most of our products are made to order and our flexible logistic chain enables us to manage our stock to keep inventory low.
Thirdly, we use leather and accessories of the highest quality and our products are made in a family-own leatherworking workshop by experienced craftsmen. We happily talk about our raw materials and workshop. You can read more about these topics here, here and here.
Fourthly, we have introduced an after-sales support system: a 5-year guarantee (for all our bags), option of an after-guarantee renovation, full restoration (including replacement of damaged elements) and a Bag Buyback Programme.
All of this makes the life-cycle of our products completely different from the typical life-cycle of leather goods.
We aim to extend the usability of our products as much as possible so that their life-cycle is a loop and not a straight line.
We will help you to keep your leather bag in the best possible condition for as long as possible. If you ever wanted to exchange your bag for any reason other than wear, we have a special option for you - the Bag Buyback Programme. With it, after some renovation work, the old handbag will get a new, satisfied owner.
At Sartolane, we believe that handbags from the buyback programme will become an increasing share of our sales - and that every piece will get a new lease on life, or a second or third one.
Check: Used Bags and Product Care.