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How Studio Gyzell’s handcrafted leather bags are Made in Europe with love and care.
True luxury is a handcrafted bag that is made with care, to cherish for a lifetime. One that is enriched with passion and refined with century old tradition. Studio Gyzell ecological leather bags are exactly that. We believe that a bag is just a bag if not for the story behind it. Read on to find out more about our story and the creators behind both the brand and the bag.
The journey of Studio Gyzell began with Aniko’s idea to create timeless handcrafted bags that can be adjusted to change your look. Inspired by the Dutch design surrounding her, Aniko started to turn her challenging idea into action. Aniko’s vision for Studio Gyzell trickled down into drawings of sleek and stylish handbag shapes and colourful foldover fronts. She wanted to create this bag for herself, but soon realised there were more women looking for the same type of bag. The next step was for her ideas to truly come to life. To go from sketches to the actual design and product.
Together they looked for ways to create a brand where ethics and aesthetics are in perfect balance.
In Aniko’s quest to have her idea come to live she found Amsterdam based boutique agency Sister. Aniko was in awe of their ideas on sustainability. Sharing their desire to create a better world by making small changes, they worked on the brand for more than 2,5 years. Together, they looked for ways to create a brand where ethics and aesthetics are in perfect balance. Based on these values, Sister agency helped to develop Studio Gyzell with its concept, the visual identity and its communications.
Besides building her brand, Aniko’s Made In Europe search for the perfect craftsmen and women began. What better place to start than her hometown?
Before Aniko found her second home in The Netherlands, where she lived for 20 years and gathered heaps of inspiration for Studio Gyzell, she spent her first two decades in her hometown Pécs. A city in South West Hungary brimming with cultural and historical heritage mixing century-old craftsmanship and sciences. The tradition of leather craftsmanship is still practiced in little family businesses dotted around Pécs. Aniko knew of these crafters, and dreamt of finding a way to help flourish these traditions once again as well as fuel them with new innovation and developments.
Two decades in Hungary and two in The Netherlands, Influences from two home-countries, cherry-picking from both worlds. Bringing the best of both to Studio Gyzell.
Art is literally on the streets in Pécs. Hometown of Victor Vasarely, the father of op-art whose work has always been a great fascination for Aniko. His art, with geometric and sometimes psychedelic shapes and colours forming intense optical illusions, look like digital masterpieces but were made back in the ’60s. Now, her childhood fascination turned into the great inspiration behind Studio Gyzell. You can find back the wondrous artist in our geometric logo, the geometrical patterns of a few of the foldover fronts, our photography and the names of our bags: Supernova, Orion and Lyra; both astronomical terms and the titles from Vasarely’s work.
Two decades in Hungary and two in The Netherlands Influences from two home-countries, cherry-picking from both worlds. Bringing the best of both to Studio Gyzell.
Back in 1989 the one-man artisan, Mr. Molnar, stitched his knowledge into every luxury leather good he made. Over three decades later, and his family business is honouring that same passion and talent, and we’re lucky enough to be part of their journey. Here’s the story of how Aniko found the Molnar family and how each bag is brought to life with utmost care.
Aniko had never heard or came across this family business and soon learnt how they are carefully preserving tradition, knowledge and craftsmanship since 1989. Molnar Leather Goods is the epitome of a family business. The father of the family, started the business as a one-man artisan. Bringing in the centuries old tradition, his skills and everlasting love for leather craftsmanship. The business is small and there are only 6 employees. During her many visits Aniko saw how the leather bags are handmade with patience and utmost precision. The craftsmanship is the quality that comes from working with care and attention to details. Mr.Molnar passed on the tradition and knowhow to his son, Gabor, who is now in lead. But already the grandson has been spotted toddling around in the factory, so the family tradition is likely to be passed on to future generations.
The Molnar family brought Aniko in contact with other great Studio Gyzell partners.
Italian supplier of metallic accessories in Naples and industrial product and fashion designer Angela Nagy in London. Together they thought of and made the current lock and attachment mechanism which is fully handcrafted in Italy. The final design of the bags is the result of long and close cooperation with Angela.
It really shows how creating a brand is the accomplishment of many different people sharing the same passion.
If there is one thing that Aniko has learned along the way is that design and functionality don’t always go hand in hand. The process of creating the luxury leather handbag collection was a long and often challenging one, everything with close contact between Aniko, Gabor, Angela and Sister agency. Everyone offered great support and enthusiasm over a period of 2,5 years to create the handcrafted leather bag that Aniko had once sketched a long time ago. Respect and honesty were mutual values and made Aniko feel part of the family. Even when there were moments of despair, motivation and passion remained high.
The biggest challenge for the team was to create a bag that works for now and will continue working in the future. The attachment of the foldover fronts had to be done in a way that it was beautiful, sustainable, timeless, easy to use, affordable and also made to last for the future with different materials and shapes for foldover fronts. It also had to simply work extremely well on a technical side and it had to fit on our leather shopper, shoulder bag and clutch, as well as any other bag design we might craft in the future. Eventually, it became a rather simple technical solution, but simple absolutely doesn’t mean there wasn’t heaps of thought put into it. Every detail matters.
As a part of making more conscious choices, buying responsibly and less, is a motto to live by.
Sustainability is key for Studio Gyzell. Besides using ecological leather and other ecological materials it was also important to Aniko that the bags would represent other values of her philosophy. Each Studio Gyzell bag is designed to be timeless but changeable, of the finest and long- lasting quality and made under fair working conditions. As a part of making more conscious choices, buying responsibly and less, is a motto to live by. Gabor and Angela have helped to think about every single little detail, to make sure that indeed each bag would last a lifetime. From the right reinforcements, measurements, corners, zipper solution, finishing’s and lining material; no idea was rushed and everything mattered.
Home is where the heart is, and hidden in Hungary and The Netherlands. Both the Molnar family and Sister agency treated Aniko’s ideas with as much love, respect and passion as she did herself. Without them, her ideas would not have come to life. That’s the beauty of each of our handcrafted leather bags, they are made with the utmost care and love. Care and love that is passed on to our wearers, to cherish their bags for a lifetime
