Feature Highlight + Interview: GLADSTN London’s Richard Sharman
A former winner of Luxury Briefing’s ‘Emerging Luxury Brand’, Gladstn London is renowned for craftsmanship and the pursuit of perfect bags, taking inspiration from the iconic Gladstone Bag and London's rich heritage of leather craftsmanship. The brand is a modern interpretation of this history. The brand’s principles are simple - to create beautiful bags with uncompromising craftsmanship, an eye for edited elegance to be used and shared on everyday journeys.
They offer the Everyday Friends Collection as well as Limited Editions and a full bespoke service.
Gladstn London launches exclusively in Harrods this June! Check out their website for more information.
Instagram: Gladstn London
Website: Gladstn London
Photos Courtesy of Gladstn London
GR8T Magazine caught up with Richard Sharman to talk about his inspirations, insights and future plan for GLASTN London.
Gladstn London is a relatively young luxury brand, what is the history behind it?
We launched our brand in 2015 in the pursuit of perfect bags and haven’t looked back since! The inspiration for our name came from the iconic Gladstone Bag and the rich heritage of leather craftsmanship here in London, the city we call home. The Gladstone Bag was named after the British Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898). He was a liberal thinker and renowned for his love of travel which inspired others to be curious and explore the world. This iconic bag that was designed for him meant for the first-time people could carry their belongings in a bag for work or leisure. Instantly new journeys and communities became possible, and it was the catalyst for the boom in “London Made” leather craftsmanship
“Have bag, will travel” - it is this spirit of curiosity and exploration which we are proud to reflect in our brand. Gladstn London is a modern interpretation of this history which is why we changed ‘Gladstone’ to ‘Gladstn’. It’s also a reflection of our independence and diversity as well as a love of the dynamic, cosmopolitan and well-visited city that we call home.
Growing a luxury brand is exciting, where do you take inspiration from and what’s important to Gladstn London?
What excites us as a team and where we constantly draw our inspiration from is the journeys our customers take every day, what they choose to carry on those journeys and how our beautiful bags complement their unique sense of style. We are thrilled when our customers are asked “where did you get that beautiful bag?”
What’s important to us is that our brand has principles and that our customers and friends share these. That’s why every bag we create starts by understanding the journeys it will go on and things it will carry. Just like a trusted friend, we all have an emotional connection to our bags and what we choose to carry. And uncompromising craftsmanship – this devotion to design is why we only work with a small number of second and third generation artisans and the finest materials. And finally, elegance for us is a state of mind - our bags must make you feel good, complementing your own style.
I don't think there's anyone, or business, that wasn't affected by Covid-19. How did the pandemic affect the brand?
Naturally the pandemic was a difficult time for us and our customers around the world, most of whom are frequent travelers. But we wanted to use the time wisely, so we spent it in two ways – firstly examining feedback from our customers on our products and how their journeys and what they were carrying was changing. Secondly working with our artisans and craftspeople (all of whom are based in Italy) to support them through the difficult period and to evolve and improve our collections.
We also used the time to develop our brand icons. We did a lot of research on the history of the leather industry and found that although the concept of hallmarking was used in precious metals, there was no similar concept to denote quality in leather work. So, we decided to create our own! The three icons - our initials GL, the Gryphon which symbolizes London and 15, the year of our establishment. These three icons now form the Gladstn London registered marque, our signature of uncompromising craftsmanship and enduring quality which is embossed into every one of our bags.
How about you personally, Richard?
I decided to swap the boardroom for my kitchen table! During my corporate career I had spent over two decades of travelling the world with my life in different bags. And yet I was never quite satisfied with the bags I had – I wanted something beautiful and admired for its understated elegance and color and yet functional and stylish.
When I became the Chief Bag Carrier at Gladstn London, I immersed myself in the creative process to develop a collection of bags perfect for the journeys we take, our Everyday Friends Collection. My pursuit of style and quality came from my late mother (who I named our first limited edition bag after). She was a determined and stylish lady who I was lucky to have as a role model in my life and she remains a continual inspiration as I grow the Gladstn London brand.
The bags in your Everyday Friends Collection are both light and very colorful, what made you decide to offer both?
I mentioned we take inspiration from everyday journeys, what we choose to carry and the unique sense of style we all have. Our beautiful bags are crafted for those journeys and designed to be used, shared and admired with craftsmanship that stands the test of time. That’s why we called the collection Everyday Friends – by your side like a trusted friend.
Listening to our customers and their changing requirements during the pandemic it was clear we were all becoming increasingly grateful even for simple journeys and the ability to connect with friends and loved ones. As the world has opened more, we’ve seen the trend for carrying less continue which is why we have focused on lightness and also launched our cross-body bag, Freedom of the City as a celebration of the ability to re-connect with people and places we love again.
Introducing more color was partly due to my own love of color and style but more importantly because our global customers were asking us for it – post-pandemic they wanted to enjoy beautiful things that were both elegant but also brightened the mood or helped them to celebrate their journeys again. A pop of color seemed to fit this vibe perfectly. We chose colors that would still stand the test of time though – some cool blues as they are trans-seasonal classics but also the orange as it’s bright in the Summer but cheerful and warm in the Winter!
Your bags are sold all over the world, yet you only make them in small quantities, why is this?
Simply because we don’t like to waste things! There are lots of bags in the world! Our bags last a lifetime, and we use only the best craftspeople and quality of materials available. We are very respectful of both and sensitive to using only the best but in small quantities. Our customers know when they carry one of our bags, they have a piece that has not been over produced and has been made using generational craftsmanship.
We see that your Made-to Order service offers both Limited Edition and Bespoke, could you tell us more?
Of course – many of our customers dream of creating a Bespoke piece that is truly unique to them and we help them to bring that dream to life with the decades of experience we have in our team. This may be something that evokes a special memory or is something truly special such as a wedding gift or simply as a present to oneself! No challenge is too great for us, that’s why we fondly call this service, Your Wildest Dreams!
We also produce a limited number of iconic designs, inspired by someone or something that really matters to us. I mentioned we called our first Icon, the Stanley Bag, after my late mother. Our Limited-Edition bags offer the opportunity to customize one of our designs. They are made to order in very small number and offer our customers the rarity of a special investment piece.
Being able to offer our customers both opportunities is how we reflect the heritage of craftsmanship, and our craftspeople absolutely love to work on these bags to showcase and develop their skills from generation to generation.
You will soon be exclusively in Harrods, what does this mean to Gladstn London?
We’re very excited to be launching with Harrods – since first opening its doors in 1834, Harrods has grown to become a worldwide famous department store, known for its range of luxury merchandise so it seems really fitting that will be our first physical store since the pandemic. Harrods also has a guiding philosophy of “anything is possible” which really resonates with me personally and my vision for Gladstn London.
You mentioned your vision for Gladstn London as it grows, what is it?
Simply to make beautiful bags that our customers desire and use every day wherever they live, work and travel in the world. It’s so thrilling to see our bags being carried and enjoyed by our customers. I have a passion to nurture and support Gladstn London to grow into a global luxury brand that people want to keep using on their journeys. Anything is possible with hard work and a desire to work in collaboration and partnership with others. “Where did you get that beautiful bag?” will always be a real compliment in life and a true test for our brand.
And finally, Richard, we must ask what bag do you carry every day?
Our Renegade bag in Tuscan Sunset is my office every day! It’s a real friend and has listened to many Gladstn London conversations! For a real treat I purchased one of our Stanley Limited Edition Bags. Having named it after my late mother I feel close to her whenever I carry it.
