Responsibly made

Ethos 

Here at Gerrie Janssen, a sense of responsibility and custodianship lies at the heart of creation. It is our brand's mission to create finely-crafted, limited edition handbags that, whilst honouring the luxury aesthetic, also prioritise the health of both the wearer and the environment. This being said, the luxury aesthetic does not have to be compromised in order for responsible creation to take place. Instead, we believe, here, at Gerrie Janssen that ethical creation and honouring of the luxury aesthetic can co-exist. And, if anything, the former makes the end product - our handbags - all the more beautiful. And indeed special.

Responsible creation

Our leather is sourced from a small, family-run tannery in Tuscany, specialising in the production of premium quality, vegetable tanned leather. 

To summarise, tanning is the process by which the animal hide is converted to leather. The vegetable tanning method, then, is a centuries-old tanning method that employs the use of natural tannins - found in nature's elements like tree bark - versus chrome tannins, as in the chrome tanning method. The complexity, expense, and time involved in vegetable tanning has resulted in the chrome tanning method growing more popular. Unlike its counterpart, however, vegetable tanned leather is void of toxic chemicals that can cause harm when they wind up in the environment, or rub off on the skin. This type of leather also ages beautifully; and - with dutiful care - will last a lifetime. The natural tannins mean that the individual look of a hide is maintained during processing; and so, truly, no two bags are the same. And each Gerrie Janssen bag comes bearing the quality trademark "Pelle Conciata al Vegetale in Toscana" - proof of the genuine vegetable tanning process.