november-2012

28
LUXURY CRAFTSMANSHIP
Leathergoods artisan Delvaux has always existed below the
fashion radar, with an appeal that is more about heritage and quality
than the latest ‘It’ bag. But now, courted by the achingly cool fashion-blog
set and fêted by Vogue, all that is about to change. Elizabeth Winding
goes behind the scenes of a company that is older than Belgium itself
L
Photography Alexander Popelier
udovic Goemaes casts an appraising eye over the
smooth calfskin lying across the workstation in
front of him. “You see, there are tiny defects,” he
says, angling the leather towards the light. To the untrained
eye it might appear perfect, but Ludovic draws three or four
small, swift circles in white pencil. “Mosquito bites, minor
blemishes…” he explains. “No skin is perfect.” Perfection,
though, is both expected and demanded here at the atelier
Delvaux and of the handbags it produces: as Ludovic lasercuts
the pattern pieces, he will avoid even the tiniest of flaws.
As the oldest fine leather goods company in the world, the
house of Delvaux has a reputation to uphold. Not only does
it predate its famous Parisian counterparts, Hermès and
november 2012
DELVAUX