About Gusti Leather Our Story - Our Passion
Inspired by a Journey – Created for the World
Gusti Leder was born from an idea that originated during travels. Our founder Christian Pietsch wanted not only to create beautiful and practical products but also to make a positive difference – for the people who make our products and for the environment that belongs to us all.
Today, we stand for handcrafted leather bags and accessories that are not only timelessly beautiful but also sustainable. Our designs combine tradition and modernity and tell stories from around the world.
Our claim: Durable quality, thoughtful designs, and close collaboration with our producers. Each product tells its own story and impresses with exquisite design, elegant colors, and high functionality. With our passion for leather, we create products that never go out of style – for people who appreciate the extraordinary.
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Our Mission
Create fascinating and innovative leather products that make you look styled and keep you always on trend."
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Our Vision
"We strive to become a highly productive and effective organization by promoting fairness and transparency in the workplace."
Our Goals
A significant portion of our revenue currently comes from products that have been tanned using chrome. However, we are aware that this type of tanning can have negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, we have set ourselves the goal of increasingly sourcing leather that has been tanned naturally and in an environmentally friendly way in the future. It is important to us to contribute to a more sustainable future and to increasingly rely on vegetable-tanned leather, which is more resource-efficient and better for the environment.
Our second major goal is to reduce our dependence on conventional online marketing strategies and to increasingly rely on alternative ways of reaching customers. Instead, we aim to be more present in various city centers. A great way to strengthen our presence in different locations is to open pop-up stores. These temporary shops allow us to increase awareness of our brand and reach more and more customers who love leather and make it their reliable companions. By establishing ourselves more in city centers, we want to create unique shopping experiences and spread our philosophy of sustainable leather widely.
Our Values
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Adaptability
Adapt to changes and respond quickly
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Organization
Maintain ethical behavior in the workplace, show punctuality, and meet commitments on time
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Communication
Promote teamwork and collaboration through clear communication
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Reliability
Maintain integrity in our professional actions
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Improvement
Promote professional growth of employees through knowledge sharing and collaboration in the workplace
Philosophy in Practice
Gusti Leder stands for transparent production and responsible handling of materials - always in harmony with people and nature.
Leather - We exclusively use leather from animals that are primarily kept for meat production and breeding. The hides are a by-product that we process into high-quality leather goods to use resources sensibly.
Transparency - Sustainability, environmental protection, animal welfare, and fair working conditions are essential values for us. We actively advocate for ethical and environmentally conscious production.
Discover our product lines
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Gusti Leder Nature
Our first brand was Gusti Leder Nature. Our collection of bags in this category consists mainly of vegetable-tanned goat leather.
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Gusti Leder Studio
The company's second product line is Gusti Leder Studio. The unique products consist mainly of buffalo and cowhide leather and are tanned using the chrome tanning process.
You founded Gusti Leder about 14 years ago. What are you particularly proud of?
You founded Gusti Leder about 14 years ago. What are you particularly proud of?
I am proud of the team because they have managed to tackle many different topics and improve our products. And yes! That is especially important for our customers.
You visit India very often. Why do you do that?
You visit India very often. Why do you do that?
Because it is important to get a personal impression of the situation, both with our manufacturers and with our team, to meet in person.
So, your manufacturers are in India?
So, your manufacturers are in India?
Yes, in India, as well as in Italy, and we have recently added some producers in Pakistan.
How important is sustainability to you at Gusti?
How important is sustainability to you at Gusti?
Sustainability is very important to me. But it is a big word. I think it should be broken down into small actions. So, what exactly have I done this month, this quarter, this year to make our company more sustainable? It's not just about being labeled sustainable or not. It's more about what you have done this quarter to make it more sustainable.
Hvad er din holdning til bæredygtighed, og hvad har du hidtil implementeret hos Gusti?
Hvad er din holdning til bæredygtighed, og hvad har du hidtil implementeret hos Gusti?
Jeg mener, bæredygtighed er et stort emne. For eksempel synes jeg, vi ikke bør have en bæredygtighedschef. I stedet bør hver teamleder tænke over, hvad de kan gøre for at forbedre bæredygtigheden. I hvert område arbejder vi samtidig på mange forskellige ting.
Kan du nævne mindst én ting?
Kan du nævne mindst én ting?
Hvad er dine kortsigtede mål for dette år?
Hvad er dine kortsigtede mål for dette år?
Vi arbejder i øjeblikket også på mange små projekter. For eksempel har vi reduceret plastikindholdet i vores artikler og fuldstændigt afskaffet plastikposer. I stedet bliver de nu sendt som papirposer. Men så fandt vi ud af, at selv papir ikke er bæredygtigt. Så det er bedst at modtage dem som ren læder uden emballage. Nu forsøger vi at koordinere dette med vores distributionskanaler.
Hvad ønsker du at opnå i de næste år?
Hvad ønsker du at opnå i de næste år?
Jeg vil gøre Gusti mindre afhængig af online-markedsføring. For os, for mig, er det meget ikke-bæredygtigt at betale Google eller Facebook for reklame, selvom vi er nødt til det i øjeblikket. Så jeg vil gerne være mere til stede i byens centrum.
Slagter I specielt dyr for jeres læder, eller er det materialer, der allerede bruges på markedet? Og har I disse råmaterialer?
Slagter I specielt dyr for jeres læder, eller er det materialer, der allerede bruges på markedet? Og har I disse råmaterialer?
Der er ikke blevet dræbt noget dyr for vores læder. Ikke specielt for vores læder. Det kan ses på vores priser. Hvis en virksomhed for eksempel sælger en håndtaske i krokodilleskind, koster sådanne tasker 500-600 euro, fordi dyret blev dræbt for sin hud. Vi bruger derimod affald fra kødindustrien. Når vi modtager disse affaldsprodukter, gør det os i stand til at tilbyde overkommelige og bæredygtige artikler, da læder som biprodukt fra kødindustrien kan betragtes som bæredygtigt.
Hvad er der hidtil opnået hos Gusti?
Hvad er der hidtil opnået hos Gusti?
Jeg vil sige, at det største, vi har opnået, er specialiseringen i en niche. Vi startede virkelig med modeartikler som rygsække og fandt vores niche. Og det er jeg virkelig stolt af, at vi har engageret os så intenst i cykelprodukter, hvilket jeg tror, jeg aldrig har sagt officielt. Men for tre år siden havde jeg en ret svær tid og fandt motivation i cykler. At være succesfuld nu med vores cykelartikler er virkelig, ja, hvis du spørger mig, en af vores store succeser.
Hvad elsker du mest ved Gusti Leder generelt?
Hvad elsker du mest ved Gusti Leder generelt?
Jeg tror ikke, der kun er et Gusti Leder. Det har forskellige facetter. Vi har alle vores butikker, hvor vores butikschefer og teammedlemmer arbejder hver dag og gør deres bedste for at forbedre, lave og sælge. Så er der andre dele af virksomheden, for eksempel på logistik siden, hvor det handler om at forbedre processer, så vi kan sende vores artikler hurtigere. Vi forsøger at besvare vores e-mails hurtigere og i et andet område reparere så mange artikler som muligt.
