2016 · starting small
It was 2016 and we had already been dreaming for some time of ways we could rethink wasteful practices in fashion. We chose to turn our fascination into the Walk with me brand, setting up our own facilities to ensure we had control of the manufacturing side of things.
The idea was to stock all the raw materials at our workshop, and transform them into products as and when we received an order. Never producing more than was necessary.
Our materials have always been key to our mission of minimising waste. To begin with we used recycled leather: a mix of natural latex and small pieces of discarded leather, and a GRS material that allowed us to build up simple products without sewing, simply using metal hardware to assemble our products.
The first designs we produced were just simple stationary packs, but they showed us that our process had potential!
2017 · stitching it together
In 2017 we learned how to sew, and from here we could start to develop beyond the world of stationary. Our designs grew and so did our following.
Suddenly, we were making handbags, and it was then we ventured away from the neutral, and incorporated more colours into our pieces.
2018 · Our first store
In February we opened our first store in the heart of Madrid, it was our Flagship store and, true to our vision, we housed manufacturing facilities inside the store. In fact, you could watch as we put your bag together - pure transparency!
Soon we had over 120 retailers across the globe believing in our product, and stocking our bags in stores from London to Hong Kong.
That same year our organic cotton collection was born, focused on developing urban backpacks to accompany commuters around the city.
2019 · finding space to create
After just a year in our first store we needed more space to assemble! We soon found a new location nearby that could accomodate our next step, and got to work, only to discover that the basement was more of a damp dungeon. We couldn’t stock anything without it getting mouldy!
After some intensive dehumidifying, we were back on track. Until, we managed to stain 200 of our precious bags in transit to the new location, even though it was just a five-minute walk and so commenced two months of intensive cleaning.
Safe to say it was a year of growing and learning some valuable lessons along the way. Nevertheless, by the end of 2019 we were moving forward and looking ahead to the next step...
2020 · the year that changed everything
In March 2020, we came back home. We excitedly opened our third store in the heart of Barcelona, but just 5 days later we were confined to our homes by law, and Covid-19 changed all our plans.
After more than 100 days with our doors firmly shut, in July we decided we had to adapt to circumstances. We closed all our retail spaces and started a transition to become an online business.
By December 2020 our online revenue was already higher than our 2019 retail revenue.
There was, however, a silver lining to a rollercoaster year, when we met Marta. Marta joined our team to be a part of the Barcelona store, but unfortunately a worldwide pandemic meant that didn’t last long. Fast forward to September when we moved our newly digitalised company to Barcelona, we didn’t hesitate to get her back onboard, and since then she has been our right hand.
2021 · NEW BEGINNINGS
Our belief today is stronger than ever. We want to make cities more walkable, and to understand this movement as a way to cross boundaries and promote a sustainable, animal friendly life.
We have settled in nicely in our new home in Gracia, Barcelona, and in September we launched our new line of 100% vegan bags, made of a new material that is built to last.
