Between tradition and French leather craftsmanship
All materials prepared in this way are then sent to our partner production workshops, where each piece is crafted in line with the guidelines of our artistic director.
Timeless design
While we are proud to be a brand of the moment, we have always been deeply committed to creating timeless designs. The ACE baguette bag, created in 1998 and still unrivalled today, is a testament to this, as is the fact that 70% of our range is carried over from one year to the next!
A Made In France heritage
Lancaster was founded in 1990, first as a Parisian leather goods workshop, and to this day we have remained faithful and deeply attuned to the tradition of French leather craftsmanship.
Shortening the production chain
Although more than a third of our designs are still produced in our workshop in the parisienne region, the brand has also expanded its manufacturing abroad, particularly in Asia. As a result, transport — although largely by sea — remains a major environmental issue to address.
That is why we have decided to relocate a large part of our production to Europe: within 5 years, 70% of LANCASTER designs will be produced there (vs. 35% today)! This clear commitment is already under way with the launch, from the beginning of 2022, of pieces crafted by new Italian suppliers.
Ethics
The internationalisation of our production chain also raises ethical questions: it is our responsibility to ensure that our suppliers respect fundamental human rights, particularly with regard to child labour and working conditions (anti-corruption, illegal labour, etc.). That is why we include an ethics charter in all our contracts with suppliers.
Perfect imperfections...
Have you ever noticed natural irregularities in the leather of our bags or accessories?
While major luxury houses use only the parts of the leather they consider “perfect” — in other words, without imperfections — and in doing so waste an average of 50% of each hide, we believe leather is a noble material precisely because it is natural, and our craft is to reveal its full essence!
By comparison, we use up to 90% of each hide, thereby reducing waste at the same time.
A four-part approach
Lancaster is committed to responsible fashion through four essential pillars: materials sourced ethically, thoughtful production, conscious fashion, and distribution with long-term partners. View the full project report
