24 Oktober 2026 |
It’s very likely that you’ve seen Polène before actually knowing about Polène. The Parisian leather goods brand launched in 2016 by siblings Elsa, Mathieu and Antoine Mothay (the latter serving as CEO) may have been around for a solid decade, but it’s only in the last couple of years that Polène has emerged as a household name for premium leather bags. Images of long queues snaking out of their stores and popular models such as the Cyme, Mokki or Numéro Neuf nestled in the crook of many a stylish arm have become ubiquitous. In 2026, everyone – from fashion insiders to end consumers – knows about Polène.
The brand’s commercial success is not that much of a “how did they do it” industry secret, but rather a very simple promise, all out in the open: Polène offers luxury products at an incredibly competitive rate. Price tags range from 160 euros for the Numéro Un Micro to 640 euros for the Boki shoulder bag, the brand’s latest product launch. For limited and special editions, prices vary between 660 and 880 euros. Looking at today’s luxury economy, one can’t help but acknowledge that this is a very attractive proposition, considering what you’re purchasing: years of artisanal expertise, leather of the highest quality and a timeless product unbothered by trends, that’s made to last. Simply put, Polène produces anti it-bags everybody wants.
From left: the new Boki shoulder bag with its signature folded design (SWAP), the Cyme bag, one of Polène’s bestsellers
To understand the brand’s ethos, one has to travel outside of Paris and in fact, out of France altogether. Instead head to Ubrique, a municipality located in the province of Cádiz, Spain, home to approximately 18,000 inhabitants. It is here, in this small, quaint town nestled in a valley surrounded by large mountains and where white-washed houses align narrow streets, that each and every Polène bag is made.
For centuries, Ubrique has been at the heart of leather production. Its first workshops were established in the 18th century, initially taking advantage of the location’s unique climate, abundant springs, surrounding oak and pine trees, and natural water full of limestone from the mountain range to tan hides and later, pieces created by artisans.
When Polène set up shop here in 2016, the brand didn’t own any of the factories. Today, 80% of the people in Ubrique work in leather goods for luxury brands, and 1,500 of them exclusively in their local ateliers, making the French brand one of the biggest employers in town. Polène not only changed Ubrique, as some of the employees explain – its story is deeply embedded in it. Employees start work at seven in the morning and finish by three in the afternoon. Family time is highly encouraged, because families are important to the business, as the know-how is relayed from one generation to the next. There are special schools where experienced artisans teach their ways to the next generation. The transmission and maintenance of knowledge and craftsmanship is rooted in Ubrique’s DNA, and in the very fabric of Polène.
From left: Ubrique in Spain, where all Polène factories and ateliers are located; a look inside the ateliers of Polène
It’s when the sketches and specificities from the brand’s artistic studio in Paris arrive, that the work for the artisans in Ubrique begins. The local design department is the first point of contact, and it has one job: to bring the bags to life. Prototypes are developed in the 3D lab and shape is given to creative ideas. The leathers are sourced from Italy and Spain, originating from “the exact same suppliers as the big luxury houses”, assures Polène’s COO, Renaud Semin. Before starting at the brand he worked for some of the industry’s biggest names, as have other employees. Leather samples are inspected in the lab, and once they are approved, manufacturing starts. At every stage of the bag making process, quality control is imperative. Everything is triple or quadruple checked; nothing is left up to chance.
A glance inside the busy cutting department reveals workers meticulously checking hides for veins, unevenness or other damages before proceeding. They need to “read the leather with their eyes”, as Semin puts it, and colour-mark any imperfections.
Many use custom iron moulds to cut the material into the pattern’s required shapes, but others operate ‘Leather Nesting’ machines, a fascinating process that digitally projects all the necessary bag parts onto a skin in the most efficient position. “Although some elements are automatic, we still need human eyes, hands and skill to oversee everything and check the outcome”, explains Semin.
Precision and multiple quality controls are crucial to the manufacturing process of each bag
Faulty or less pristine parts are put to one side, but the goal is to have as little waste, or so-called ‘spider nests’, as possible. Leftovers are not discarded (one of Polène’s unique selling points is that not an inch of leather is ever wasted) but instead stored in a factory building, before being repurposed into small accessories like charms, decorative objects such as flowers or transformed into furniture and interior design elements for their 15 stores (five of which are shop-in-shops within luxury malls) across North America, Europe, and Asia.
The leather scraps are mixed with polymer or resin and then pressed, resulting in a marble-like material which is then turned into trays, tables or even tiles. In the Beijing boutique, twelve tons of leather offcuts were upcycled to create compressed bricks used as part of the store’s inner architecture. Rumour has it that interior designers have tried to get their hands on the signature Polène “leather marble”, but the company isn’t selling it (yet).
In addition to the design and cutting department, there are ateliers dedicated solely to the reinforcements, to splitting the leather (called “dividido”) and to thinning the parts (called “rebaje”) in order to make them more subtle and manipulable, as well as the “empaste”, the gluing of the elements. Then there’s painting and of course, assembly. Here, employees sit in rows, with each line working on just one bag,as it rhythmically moves back and forth between artisans.
It is at this production stage when the artisan’s patacabra comes into play. Spanish for ‘leg of the goat’, carved from solid olive wood and smoothed by hand, the tool’s gentle arc protects the leather as it is pressed and formed into shape.
This essential instrument is unique to each craftsman and often passed down from one generation to the next. Ubrique’s former monastery features a multitude of patacabras hanging from its entrance ceiling, in honour of local artisans who gave up their profession or who were not able to pass on theirs on.
From left: the patacabra, an essential tool in leather goods manufacturing; finishing touches to the Mokki bag
Back at the assembly point, “the goal is not to go fast, but always at the exact right pace”, explains Semin. It usually takes between four and five hours to produce a Polène bag. However, The Mokki, one of the most complex designs comprising 40-plus elements, may take up to seven hours to finish, while the signature golden hardware and brand name logo feature on every bag. Very rarely, designs have to be altered, because they don’t pass the brand’s meticulous assessments. A “carry test” (unnecessary rubbing on the wearer’s clothes) for instance, will halt production.
At Polène, the prime goal is to offer customers the highest level of craftsmanship with every single product. It’s turning a purist aesthetic linked to the use of natural leathers into a timeless fashion piece, made with the utmost precision, always striving for perfection. And it’s celebrating the heritage and knowledge of Ubrique’s artisans, ensuring that this traditional craft continues to endure. That’s why in almost all of the brand’s standalone stores, an area or entire shop floor is designed like an exhibition space, dedicated to showcasing the artisanal savoir-faire and fine leatherwork. If you’re entering a Polène boutique the next time, make sure to pay it a visit.
Text KELLY NIESEN
