Polène’s Timeless
Leather Icons
Tucked in the limestone hills of southern Spain, the sunlit whitewashed town of Ubrique is something of a last bastion of traditional leather craftsmanship—and the place where Polène, the contemporary French leather-goods Maison, began its journey. Here, amidst centuries-old ateliers, co-founder Antoine Mothay perfected the techniques that define the brand’s understated, meticulously crafted designs.
(Craftsmanship) Anyone who has visited Ubrique—a municipality in southern Spain—can understand why Antoine Mothay, co-founder of Polène, chose to end his European travels there. What began as a fascination with the finest leather craftmanship led him to spend a year learning alongside local Andalusian artisans perfecting Polène’s first production—and every collection since. Today, Antoine runs the Paris-based company he founded in 2016 with his siblings, Elsa and Mathieu; more than 2,200 leather artisans now craft for the brand—a number that is continuing to grow.
A last bastion of leather craftsmanship holding out against the tide of globalization, Ubrique, in the province of Cadiz, is well worth the journey. An hour’s drive from Seville Airport, this small town of 16,000 inhabitants rests in the hollow of a limestone massif. Its sunlit whitewashed houses mark it as a typical Andalusian “pueblo blanco,” yet it stands apart.
A Place Where Leather Lives
Ubrique (pronounced Oo-breek-eh) is something of a “leatherland”—a patchwork of small, family-run workshops (some counting up to 60 artisans) that together form a deeply human network. Here, everyone is somehow connected to the trade—if they don’t work with leather themselves, a relative surely does. A warm, familial spirit pervades the streets, where leathercraft has shaped daily life for generations.
Once the closely guarded domain of the most prestigious leather houses and cutting-edge fashion designers, Ubrique has become a magnet for new brands seeking to produce high-quality leather accessories in limited runs, leveraging local expertise that rivals the craftmanship of France or Italy. Most stages of production are still carried out by hand, using the famous patacabra—an emblematic small wooden mallet whose rhythmic tapping echoes throughout the streets. Designed to last an entire career, each is carved to fit the hand, and used to soften, mold, and finish the edges of the leather.
Could it be this area’s unique topography—its texture, relief, and surrounding limestone hills—that inspires the soft, organic curves and colors of Polène’s designs? The French company favors a tactile, experimental approach rather than pre-designed sketches. An in-house prototyping workshop within the Parisian studio on rue Montmartre brings together a dozen designers and model makers who work closely with one another to develop the curves and volumes of each bag, ensuring perfect harmony between contemporary design and functionality. Take, for instance, the Neyu—a crossbody with a second-skin effect—crafted from supple napa calf leather and designed to rest naturally against the body.
Beyond Seasons
Without following a seasonal calendar, Polène introduces roughly two new designs per year, experimenting with new variations in size and material, and a selection of soft, muted colors. One enduring bestseller is the Cyme tote—the large camel version remains a favorite, closely followed by a smaller size. Then there is the Numéro 9, a slightly more voluptuous style; the Numéro 10, inspired by equestrian wear and saddlery; and the Mokki, composed of 80 pieces, including 36 leather panels. Its name, borrowed from Finnish, means “shelter,” evoking the comforting folds and protective feel of the leather. Exclusively sourced from European certified tanneries, the material is sculpted to create complex, original shapes, with folds, draping, or weaving meticulously formed by hand. Yet, it is through upcycling that the brand most clearly expresses its creativity and practicality.
Stored at Villamartin—Polène’s logistics center near Ubrique—all leather off-cuts are put to creative use, and have to date given rise to two new bag designs. The Solé—a stylized version of the mesh tote—is composed of a network of 240 smooth, curved beads, like pebbles polished by the rolling waves. Using a process patented by the French start-up Authentic Materia, the beads were created after extensive research into upcycling leather off-cuts from the brand’s material development department.
Then there is the Wilo, a reinterpretation of the Numéro 9 in a fringed version, produced as a limited edition that sold out immediately. Each of the three different loop lengths is folded back on itself to create a gradient effect. To make one bag, 176 alternating strands of grained and smooth leather are sewn together—a process that requires two pairs of hands and 10 hours of work.
Built in Leather
Taking its commitment to experimentation and sustainability a step further, Polène collaborates with designers and artists to transform its leather off-cuts into unique, limited-edition interior objects—from Mobje’s sculptural vases to Wendy Andreu’s woven mirrors, and now Jinya Zhao’s totemic Uzlo glass sculptures. This creative philosophy found tangible expression in the newly inaugurated Curiosity Workshop during Fashion Week. Nestled on the lower floor of Polène’s Parisian flagship store on the Champs-Élysées, visitors were invited to look, touch, smell, and learn—a sensory experience that revealed the meticulous craftsmanship behind every piece.
At the heart of this store, a monumental spiral staircase extrapolates the brand’s signature fluid curves. Upstairs, a three-piece curved sofa intertwines with giant padded leather tubes. Known for her work with repurposed inflatables, Paris-based designer Marianna Ladreyt has, for the first time, handcrafted a leather piece exclusively for Polène. Further beyond lies a small, intimate lounge, its walls clad in oversized woven leather strips, paying homage to the brand’s leatherworking origins.
The material also appears in unexpected places, such as wooden tables topped with “leather marble.” The process—named “Structural Skin” by Iberian artist Jorge Penadés—involves compressing several hundred kilograms of the brand’s leather off-cuts, revealing natural variations and marbling. Even more surprising, the leatherwork extends to the checkout counter, covered in LeatherStone® by Elodie Michaud and Rebecca Fézard from hors-studio. The French duo of designers and researchers have patented this innovative material, transforming leather off-cuts into a stone-like surface with a mineral look.
Each of the brand’s retail spaces—from Paris to New York, Seoul, and Hamburg—translates innovative material research and creative collaborations into bespoke interior elements on an architectural scale. With upcoming openings in Copenhagen, Milan, and Beijing, Polène continues to expand a quietly visionary world, where craftsmanship, innovation, and sensory experience are key.
