We are sty.ma

Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? A painting by the French painter Paul Gauguin, 1897–98.

Painted at the threshold of the new century, it is his masterpiece, the peak of his creativity and his largest painting, almost four metres long and over one metre high.

It deals with the big questions of life but gives no answer to them.

OK, and now?

What does this have to do with us? Not much, but just a little bit.

When I first saw this painting, I thought of us. The colour combination of blue shades, ochre and brown could be reinterpreted with our bags.

A bag for everyone, young or old. All periods of life, as portrayed by Gauguin. Each one according to his own personality. Each one according to the way he feels. Fancy, modern or vintage. That's the way every person is and so is the bag.

To be honest, we're a little bit proud of our concept and because we really believe in it, we live by it.

We are 6 people, 6 different birth years, from 1960 to 1995, 3 nationalities, 3 savoir-vivre, and 6 different bags. A bit of Berlin, a bit of Munich, a bit of Bologna and a bit of Cairo.

And therefore the name.

sty.ma

Written in lowercase, because we have nothing to prove. We are who we are.

With a dot, because a bag should be forever. A friend who accompanies you in the changing scenarios of life and always remains the same. Just more lived-in. With a few more scratches.

With a meaning, from the Italian for "appreciation".

And a y, just because it made us feel cooler.

Gauguin has often portrayed himself as a black dog in his paintings. A perceptible piece of him in every work. Similarly, there is a piece of us in every sty.ma. Each bag manufactured is examined by at least two of us during quality control. You should get what you paid for. Appreciation and so...

We regularly fly to Italy to visit the Pelletteria, where the bags are handmade. A family business spanning three generations.

We know where the leather is purchased. We take care that the colours stay up to date and sometimes we also add small surprises for a limited time. We pack the bags ourselves and take care of goodies. If you have any questions or problems, you will talk to us personally. Feel free to call.

From the inner lining to the zipper, everything is well thought out and sty.ma-approved. But, quite honestly, nothing is pointless. The zipper is a zipper, holds what it is supposed to, but it is not made of gold. The metal parts are metal parts, hold what they are supposed to, but they are not adamantium. The leather is calfskin. Soft, durable, colourful and elegant. No crocodile, giraffe, elephant or basilisk leather. We will never offer this to you, so if you want to have elephant leather, a sty.ma is not for you. Sorry, but we have nothing to do with that.

Another feature of Gauguin's work is the white bird on the left. A symbol of "the nothingness of empty words". This also applies to us, no empty words in marketing, no inflated promises, no mirage. You get what you see. Nothing more, nothing less.

We are not at the beginning of a new century, but we are something new that was not there before. We offer a limited number of bags every month. We will not produce them until you have ordered them. So be patient, you have to wait at least 3 weeks.

"Good things come to those who wait."

— Ovid

Or if we want to say it in a more melodramatic way:

"Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim"

"Be patient and endure: someday this pain will be useful to you."

— Ovid

And so we finally come to the question: is sty.ma, as with Gauguin, our masterpiece, the peak of our creativity and our greatest project?

Well, we work to live and don't live to work. In our lives there are more important things than colourful bags, but sty.ma is definitely something special for us. Also because the basis for it is our long-lasting friendship.

Ovid even knew back then that a bag was very useful...

We don't ask life questions, we give small, colourful answers made of leather.