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Crafted to Last

A view of a city with mountains in the background

Earlier this month, our team celebrated the craftsmanship at the heart of Strathberry, with a trip overseas from our home of Scotland to Ubrique in Spain.  Ubrique  is a picturesque town nestled in the tranquil mountain ranges and is where our Strathberry bags are handcrafted by local artisans. 

For centuries, Ubrique has supplied the world’s most revered luxury brands with beautifully handcrafted leather goods.  The team took five editors to this magical town, to share the meticulous care and detail that goes into the creation of every one of our bags. 

We’re giving you an exclusive behind the scenes look at our factory…

Our collections are all designed in our Edinburgh atelier, but 2,000 miles from our Edinburgh HQ, buried deep in the mountains of Andalusia, our bags come to life, ready to be loved and put to use for a lifetime.

Influencer Andrea Cheong in Ubrique, Spain wearing a Strathberry Lana Hobo handbag in Raffia with black leather strap.
Influencer Andrea Cheong in Ubrique, Spain wearing a Strathberry Lana Hobo handbag in Raffia with black leather strap.

Fate drew our Scottish founders to Spain in the early 2000s. They witnessed skills passed down across generations, and the endless knowledge of the craftspeople there. Our founders collaborate with the atelier’s exceptional artisans, who translate carefully hand-crafted paper and salpa maquettes into our luxury leather goods.

The first stop  on our trip was to our Ubrique workshop. Eva, our Production Manager, and Juan Antonio, Workshop Manager, lead us through the workshop. Eva used to live in Edinburgh, and Juan Antonio’s father used to run the workshop before him! We were shown the full process from hand cutting of the leather patterns of our iconic styles, through to the artisans working with the Pata De Cabra - an iconic Spanish tool in the molding and creating of our signature styles. 

The friendship  that we have with the factory dates back over 10 years when our founders Guy and Leeanne met the owner during their time living in Spain with their children.  Our partnership is built on trust and our shared passion for beautifully crafted leather goods. The artisans in our workshop feel like an extension of our UK team, and work very closely with our teams based in Edinburgh.

Whilst in Ubrique, we wanted to meet other artisans from the region, so we visited La Organic, which is an Olive Oil Farm, to explore the journey of olive oil making. 

The final stop on our trip was to visit the Museum de la Piel, to understand the beauty of leather, which is a fundamental pillar for the economic and cultural development of the region. We take pride in the leather we use across all of our designs, so this felt like an important place to visit to show our support for the community of Ubrique. Our time in Ubrique was very special for the team, getting to see first-hand the love and care that goes into crafting our bags to last. We hope by giving you a deeper insight into our craftsmanship story, you too will feel like part of our family.

A detailed shot of the construction of a Strathberry handbag. Focusing on the stitching around the leather adjustable straps included with the handbags, shown in the atelier in Ubrique, Spain.
A detailed shot of the construction of a Strathberry handbag. Focusing on the gold hardware feet on the base of the handbag and the detailed stitching around the edge of the base of the handbag. Shown in the atelier in Ubrique, Spain.
A detailed shot of the construction of a Strathberry handbag. Focusing on the stitching around the leather top handle of a tote handbag, shown in the atelier in Ubrique, Spain.
A Strathberry Nano Tote handbag shown in the atelier workroom in Ubrique, Spain. The handbag is shown in vanilla, with the atelier craftsman having completed the process of putting the bag together for final display.

Shop our bestselling handcrafted styles below.

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