Maybe after a year of hard work, you’ve decided to reward yourself with a Chanel bag. Perhaps to give your beloved half a surprising birthday present, you’ve wrapped up carefully a Gucci belt. But have you ever wondered where these luxury products are produced? In fact, many of their leather products are neither produced in France nor Italy, but in Ubrique, a Spanish village luxury brands love.
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Where is Ubrique?
Ubrique is a 1.5-hour drive from Seville, the capital city of Andalusia, and a 1-hour drive from the beautiful coastal city, Cadiz. It belongs to the famous 19 white villages of Cadiz.
There is neither an airport nor trains, and the bus connecting nearby cities runs at low frequency. Despite its remote location, many workshops here fabricate leather goods for world-class brands.
Why in Ubique?
Many people in Spain have heard of the leather production there, but few are aware of its scale. The boundary of this little village with leather goods can date back to more than 200 years ago.
Due to its abundant water supply, excellent pastures and cattle, among other natural resources related to production, folk leather processing sprouted here a long time ago. Can you imagine that nowadays, of all the 16,000 people living in town, more than 5000 dedicate their life to leather goods production?
Fame built by generations
Every piece of leather good here is hand-crafted by craftsmen, and the technique passes down through generations. Machines only participate in a small part.
Many craftsmen in the workshop were little kids immersed in a family background where their parents had worked day and night in this niche. Grown-up, they have inherited this precious craftsmanship. The only machines you can see in the workshop are sewing machines and die-cutting machines, which are only used to cut the leather to precise dimensions.
They have their unique understanding of the whole fabrication process. They are sensitive to raw materials and set their own requirements for the final products.
Local brands in Ubrique also pay great attention to detailed polishing and leather care. Made in Ubrique has gradually become their label of quality. The manager of a local brand called El Potro said that every bag they sell is 100% made by one individual worker except for leather tailoring and design.
If Switzerland is the benchmark for watch manufacturing, Ubrique will be the world center of leather goods production.
A village luxury brands love
The love and dedication craftsmen here give to each leather piece have finally brought in the whole industry’s spotlight. Many world-class luxury brands have chosen Ubrique to make their leather products, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. However, it is unknown to us which ones are their workshops.
To prevent counterfeit, workers in Ubrique are highly confidential. On top of that, the workshop itself and the department manager and the exact craftsmen, everyone engaged in the production, have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. It is not allowed to take pictures, let alone divulge the design.
A little “off track” during the economic crisis
Since every exquisite leather good is almost 100% handmade, the cost goes way higher than machine manufacturing. During the economic crisis, many large companies switched their production to some Asian countries such as China. But a year later, many brands returned to the town.
The Minister of Culture of Ubrique stated that “in fact, Chinese factories have a strong ability to learn and imitate, but they cannot uphold a craftsmanship in detail handling and quality control”.
And every piece of a leather product born here shines in its way. That’s the value handmade holds. Every single piece is unique.
A Specialized School
Due to the lack of educational resources for artisans, in 2014, a school specialized in leather manufacturing was established here. Students age from 16 to 54 years old. Among many native students, we could also encounter faces from other countries, such as Italy, Russia, Denmark, Romania, Colombia, and Mexico. Some of them stayed there after their studies, while others achieved career advancement through this bridge. Some designers come here to study, learning about leather goods manufacturing, and improving their professionalism. And after graduation, they went to large companies to display their talents.
The future of the town
Recently, with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton choosing Ubrique as their workshop, the local government has approved 23,000 square meters of land to build new hotels, vocational accommodation, and workshops. Meanwhile, locals hope that more independent brands could find a way to grow their business.
Now, look at the bag in your hands. It might be born in this Spanish village. Definitely check out Ubrique on your trip to Spain. You will find the bag you’ve always wanted among international and local brands.
Besides shopping, Cádiz has many ways to fulfill your Andalusian holiday. If you need any suggestions on planning your trip, feel free to leave us a message.