06
The making process
Hands.
Hide.
Time.
Ethiopia to Europe
Traditional craft, joined with contemporary design.
Every PAPO piece is made with the belief that good things should be built to last. Six steps, one standard. The leather is Ethiopian. The names in the collection (Lalibela, Axum, Addis, Simien, Gondar) keep that origin in the hand, without turning the work into a souvenir.
- 01
Leather selection
We begin with hides chosen for character, thickness and the way they will age. Full-grain leather is preferred, it keeps the marks of the animal and, later, of the person who carries it.
- 02
Design
Patterns are drawn for modern European life: meetings, travel, gifts, and the everyday. Function is never an afterthought. Proportion, hardware and interior logic are decided before a single cut.
- 03
Cutting
Panels are cut with patience so the grain runs true and waste is respected. Good leather is finite; the workshop treats it as such.
- 04
Stitching
Seams are sewn to last, not merely to look finished on day one. Tension, thread and stitch length are held to a house standard.
- 05
Finishing
Edges are burnished, hardware is set, and the piece is formed. This is where a bag stops being parts and becomes an object you will live with.
- 06
Quality inspection
Nothing leaves without a final hand. We inspect as if the piece were being given to someone we love, because every PAPO piece carries the name of a family story.
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