New spark of Parisian leathergoods - Léo et Violette, Paris

Our world evolves rapidly, especially with the fast-fashion tendency that almost dominates the 21st century that most of us are craving for newness in every single minute, either from blogs, Instagram and even our shopping destinations, as much as such tendency has no sign to slow down at this point, which is exactly an advantage for new emerging designers to showcase their creativity and talent, to catch-up the ever faster pace to create one-of-the-kind product that impresses both the style-hunger clientele, on the other hand, to look for their satisfaction of creating something beautiful, practical, and authentic at the same time.

It was a hot sunny day in Paris when I was rushing for an appointment, walking down the Rue Sainte-Anne just about to make my turn to Rue des Petits Champs to my destination, I was being stopped in the half way in the middle of that street, attracted by a beautifully crafted black calf-leather holdall by a boutique window display, the simple, classic yet deluxe looking bag makes me keep stirring at it in different angles, then without hesitation, even bearing to be late with my appointment, I decided to enter this leathergoods boutique and explore more. It is quite an unexpected surprise (a good one though) to discover this contemporary leathergoods house, Léo et Violette, which opens barely a month in the crown-jewel 1st arrondissement, a neighborhood that filled with a flair of history and grandeur in the heart of the city; this new boutique of Léo et Violette is relatively welcoming and warm, thanks to the bright and clean line interior, just like entering to a modern French home that filled with Parisian street chic and creative aura, I was then greeted by Mr. Léo Dominguez, a young, energetic and free-spirited French young man, who then I realized is the designer, and, one of the founder of this leathergoods house.

Alongside with Léo, his founding partner, Ms. Violette Polchi, are a true enthusiast on homage to Parisian artisanal creation, they have been thinking of working together for quite some time, which until Jan 2013 that they decided to make their mark to realize their dream, that’s the moment that how Léo et Violette was born since then. Staying true to their vision and their passion on creating refined and luxurious contemporary leathergoods, both Léo and Violette stand firm to their philosophy, either from creative stand-point, or, business channel, both founders are very conscious and passionate to maintain the premium, refinement and intimacy to connect with their tasteful customer, by a rigorous control of their production process, precision on details, and reducing the intermediary in order to deliver their remarkable product with their sincerity, passion and direct interaction with their fans and customers, a new approach of doing contemporary luxury goods business in the 21st century.

Of course, apart from a thrill to meet Léo by this unexpected coincident, one of my intention is to take a closer look with his creation, the ‘Le grand cartable’ for instance, the handsome and timelessly classic design which is extremely versatile from on or off work use, the exquisite black Italian leather which is light and luxurious, attach with the additional removable shoulder strap which makes it an idea business travel partner to get on and off your commute, the functional compartment design which literally practical for the modern day office executive, putting their documents and electronic device in a seamlessly smooth and smart way of storage, think about a slender and polished Parisian office gentlemen, walking swiftly and smart down the busy Parisian street, along with their slim, tall physique and a well-tailored, monochromatic suit with a simple white shirt and a slim tie, which looks exceptionally chic and modern that exudes the contemporary and outgoing young Parisian professional spirit.

For business travelling, another noteworthy choice would be the ‘Le voyageur’, thanks to the refined selection of calf leather with the extremely clean line design, makes this beautiful bag an ideal travel partner which made for the capacity of up to 5-days, with an intelligently designed inner compartments, once again, the removable shoulder strap and the lightness of the bag makes your travel much easier and light, you can even make your pick of color depending on your attire from a smart-casual camal, to a business polished dark navy or black.

While we entered into the digital era to get us closer to all information around the world, that’s one thing that cannot be taken away, is the physical interaction and connection, just like the philosophy of Léo et Violette, one will never get tired of an up-close connection with a beautifully made leathergoods, to feel, to touch, and to use it, as one of the fundamental joy of appreciating artisan work, and live in the ever-changing 21st century.

Image courtesy of Léo et Violette, Paris.

https://www.leoetviolette.com/