Founded in 2014, but with over two decades of experience in the production of leather goods, the Kompanero brand, belonging to the Indian company ASG Leather Pvt. Ltd, is inspired in its name by the Spanish word that means ‘companion’, maybe because its bags and small leather good items are faithful companions in the lives of the men and women who use them throughout every moment of the day.
Present since the first edition of Gardabags, Kompanero is known in particular for its bags with a strong artisanal mood that are characterised by large and spacious dimensions, meticulous attention to every detail, and premium quality leathers that are produced in-house, since the company has its own tannery and is capable of combining under one roof the entire production process, from the tanning of the leathers, to design, and the manufacturing of the finished product. In India, Kompanero is present with 40 flagship stores, but also has a strong presence in international retail distribution, especially in Australia, where it is present in around 500 multibrand stores, as well as in the USA, and in Canada.
“We produce 50,000 bags per month, and an equal number of small leather good items, and we are among the few manufacturers on a global level that can claim to manage the entire production process in-house, from the tanning of the leathers to design, and from production to distribution. This, combined with the fact that we are also present on the market with our own brand, represent our defining trait and our strength”, confirms with pride Aloke Kumar Sengupta, founder and owner of ASG Leather Pvt. Ltd.
The brand has experienced enormous exponential growth on a commercial, creative, and technical level. “The fact that the company can develop the entire production process in-house, from the raw materials to the finished product, combined with important investments made in R&D and in state-of-the-art machinery, allows for the personalisation of every single product, making it unique and easily recognisable” – confirms Gabriele Candelori, the Italian designer at the helm of Kompanero for the last 5 years.
“Thanks to the in-house tanning, highly specialised in-house workforce, laser technology, in-house embroidery, etc., Kompanero is in fact capable of offering a creative project conceived ‘ad hoc’ for every market and type of consumer, in an extremely short amount of time. Two things that are offered with difficulty by companies that must make use of an external supply chain”. This is especially important today, since the market is increasingly in search of a unique, recognisable, and quickly available product.
“Today’s customer is increasingly in search of a specific and personalised product – continues Candelori – and the collections that up until a short while ago were produced twice yearly, today are produced on a weekly basis”.
