To mark the launch of LOEWE ReCraft, the first store to specialize in repairing and maintaining leather items, LOEWE celebrates the joy of craft beyond the new with a series of interviews with longtime LOEWE customers.

In Kyoto’s Gion district sits Tomiyo, a 206 year old teahouse. Kimi Ota, its 8th generation proprietress, is often seen carrying one of her Amazonas in a shade matching the color of her Kimono belt. “The handmade is not perfect but it is durable, that’s what I find the beauty in,” she says with a charming smile.

The Onishi family has been crafting Kama (iron tea kettles) for over 400 years. The 16th generation Seiwemon Onishi inherited two LOEWE briefcases from his father. When he carries them he feels he is also carrying a part of the family’s history. “The continued usage of what is left behind, is what keeps the family alive,” he says. “What I own, I maintain carefully so that my son Seitaro can use in the future.”