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Bags of style

By Kitty Go | China Daily | Updated: 2014-01-13 07:27

Amazona by Loewe. Photo provided to China Daily

Stand out with style

'Mystery' jewelry

An Amazona is made with 61 pieces of leather. A sample takes four craftsmen six to eight hours to cut, assemble and sew, depending on the type of leather. About 60 percent of the bag is made by hand - namely attachments, assembly of metal zippers and other parts, stamping, brushing, pressing and finishing.

The sewing of long seams like the sides are done by machine but operated by a person so they can control the curves and turns, says Manuel Baena, head of Atelier.

Needless to say, production of the Amazona is slow, yielding only 28 bags a day made by 10 people. That is, if they all pass quality control. Ramon Gonzalez, the technical production head, reports that 86 percent pass quality control the first time. The rest are repaired to perfection.

The average artisans on the Loewe sample and production floors have an average of 15-18 years' experience with many of them having started as apprentices in their teens. Some of the longest serving craftsmen have more than 45 years' experience.

The nappa leather used for Amazonas comes from the cordero entrefino Espanol, or Spanish Entrefino lamb, which grazes in the Pyrenees. In-house leather expert Simo Escayola sources only from the top 5 percent of first-quality leathers from 10-15 tanneries in Spain, France and Italy, making Loewe and Hermes competitors for the finest leathers in the world. Historically, Loewe gets first priority with leathers from Spain.

"We are lucky that the best materials come from Spain. Good-quality leather is like the foundation of a good product, like human skin that needs to be good before any makeup," emphasizes Escayola.

After research, sourcing and product development, it will still take at least a month of washing, tanning and finishing for any leather to be ready for production.

It is about 40 years since Enrique Loewe Lynch, the founder's great-grandson, supported the shift to a modern lifestyle through an equally modern handbag that married design and function with longevity. It is not unusual for an Amazona to be passed on from mother to daughter. It helped that at this time, a signature, much imitated golden suede called ante oro enhanced the cachet of the Amazona then as it does now and surely into the future.