BARBERS & BAGS The leather artistry of José Mollura

BARBERS BAGS

SUCCESS IN THE BAG

Argentina, Italy, Spain, India, the Netherlands. José Mollura’s passion for world-class leather crafting has taken him around the world. With craftsmanship in his DNA, his fascination with traditional leatherworking stems from his great grandfather who was a shoemaker in Cantanzaro in southern Italy. José carries on his ancestors’ devotion to impeccable artisan quality through his leather bags. He has developed his skills by learning in practice and even working voluntarily at a factory in India. His travels ultimately took him to Amsterdam, which he now calls home. Today he is the proud owner of the José Mollura shop and studio. His designs are in step with the needs of urban professionals who travel by bike. José says the craftsmanship, quality and personal touch are what make his bags distinctive. BarberSociety Magazine met up with José at his shop on the Singel Canal in Amsterdam, next door to Van De Hare Amsterdam Barbers, to learn more about his passion, challenges and ambitions.

Craftsmanship, quality and the personal touch

Born to be creative José’s journey of discovery spans three continents and four countries. Wherever his travels take him, he always stays true to his Italian roots of quality craftsmanship. José explains: “I was born and raised in Buenos Aires and then lived in Italy. I have Italian heritage, with my father, grandfather and great grandfather all coming from Italy.”

It was clear at a young age that he was destined to learn a craft and create things. “I wasn’t great at school, but my mother always said I had to do something with my creativity. I’ve always loved working with my hands and making things happen. As a kid, I had a vivid imagination and was always creating stuff with Lego. I was close with my grandfather and he told me that his father, my great grandfather, was a shoemaker in Italy. So I travelled to my great grandfather’s hometown of Cantanzaro in southern Italy. I found the place where he worked and saw the machines he used as a shoemaker. Southern Italy is all about quality craftsmanship, particularly leather. That’s when I said: this is definitely for me; this is what I want to do with my life.”

It takes a month from start to finish

From Barcelona to India to Amsterdam “I moved to Barcelona and began learning how to make leather goods. I started with small items like wallets and keychains, but then started scaling up. I wanted to make larger objects and began making bags. Soon afterwards I moved to India to learn more about design and leathercrafting and worked at a factory for free. So that’s where I really started making bags. After that I went back to Barcelona. From there I backpacked through Europe and my first stop was Amsterdam. I said immediately: I want to live here. So I stayed and decided that this is the place for me to start making bags professionally. That was 14 years ago and I’m still totally in love with Amsterdam and with my craft.”

José also met the love of his life in Amsterdam. “I met my wife in Amsterdam when she was buying a bag years ago. We fell in love and are still together. She’s been key to the success of our business. I’m so grateful to her for her support with the business side of our company. We are a team, she’s my greatest supporter.”

Amsterdam vibe in a bag Which place has had the greatest influence on his work? “Definitely Amsterdam. When I’m designing, I always think of how everyone cycles here and how to improve the way they carry stuff on bikes. The city inspires me to make bags and backpacks for cyclists and to incorporate aspects such as the distribution of weight into my designs. It’s all about adapting your offering to the local culture. That’s why I had to make my new line of waterproof bags. They’re made of oil tanned leather, so they are suited to the rainy climate.”

Craftsmanship from start to finish The creative process of making bags requires diverse skills and a keen eye for style and design. José explains: “First I draw it on paper and then cut all the pieces in carton to make the patterns. Then I make a bag in canvas just to see the shape and assess the wearability. After that I make it in real leather and use it for two weeks myself. Then I make any necessary changes. I ask customers what they think and then I make it again. It takes a month from start to finish.”

Quality every step of the way José is committed to quality across the entire process, including the sourcing of the leather. He places great importance on purchasing hides from sustainable sources: “I use vegetable tanned leather from Italy. All the bags come with a certificate of origin. I purchase my leather from a consortium in Tuscany and each piece of leather includes a QR code that lets you see how it is produced without using chemicals.”

The big four Men are looking for four main qualities when choosing a bag, José explains: “Functionality, quality, practicality and sustainability. They want something they can’t find somewhere else – an extra strap, etc. They want quality, a logo, perhaps their initials; it’s the personal touch that counts.” This personal touch is reflected

Minimalism means you need just one bag

in his tailor-made approach. “Take the bag I created for Marc van de Hare [BarberSociety Founder]. I asked him to show me what he needed and then created a bespoke bag with special pockets for his razors, scissors and other tools.”

Bespoke for barbers What is José’s top pick for barbers? “The bowling bag. It’s not big but has plenty of space to put all your tools as a barber. It’s got lots of pockets inside for your scissors and everything.” He says minimalism is also important. “What you don’t need, I don’t put in the bag. Not twenty pockets, but only the couple of pockets you use all the time. If you have too many pockets, the design will be messy. Minimalism to me means you need just one bag – not four or five, one is enough.” Challenging times The coronavirus pandemic is severely impacting retailers. It’s also been a tough period for José Mollura’s business. “It’s a challenging time because we depend a lot on tourists in the city centre. I’m now focussing more on e-commerce. It’s vital to master digital commerce, you’ve got to have an online presence. I can’t compete with the huge platforms; my only weapon is quality.” He also believes the crisis has spurred creativity, “I developed my new waterproof line during the Coronavirus pandemic. So that’s something positive that’s come out of the crisis.”

How can you convey the look and feel of a tactile product like leather goods in the digital world? “I put the process of creating bags on my Instagram. Films of me sewing, crafting, etc. That’s how you keep it alive.”

A bright future ahead Looking to the future, José sees bright days ahead. “I want to stay in this shop and continue to build the online business. I’d like to scale up, while keeping the focus on quality. My aim is to grow the business without losing the personal touch.”