The Antwerp Fashion Management Summer School Experience – Day 4 – Delvaux Handbags

If yesterday’s trip to the Van De Velde lingerie factory was a highlight for the guys, the Brussels Delvaux factory tour was clearly the ‘must see’ moment for the ladies. Delvaux is a Belgian luxury handbag company founded in 1829, a year before Belgian even got it’s independence from The Netherlands, meaning, the company is older than the country its self. Not too shabby. Like other luxe bags such as Louis Vuitton, Delvaux got its start making luggage and travel cases for the refined explorer and world-traveller. Sometimes referred to as the Hermes of Belgium, Delvaux is mostly an under-the-radar brand that doesn’t really advertise, so if you live outside of Belgium, there’s a good chance you may not know them, and you’d just have to know to ask for them at finer department stores around the world. Delvaux is praised for it’s incredible customer service, and is able to offer free repair service on any bag bought in the last 70 years and they have the leather supplies to prove it. See below for snaps of their archives. This is quite impressive for a country like Belgium whose customer service is notoriously unremarkable. Other things of note, all of Delvaux’s hides are purchased from Europe-based tanneries, although a majority share has recently been purchased by the Fung Brand of Hong Kong.

Other exciting news, seeking to escape the current ‘Burger King-esque’ crown logo, Delvaux will soon be launching a re-brand, and will be offering bags not just exclusively made of high-end leather, but also in high-end, funky plastics in the 400 Euro range.