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.
What is your position on sustainability and what have you implemented at Gusti so far?
What is your position on sustainability and what have you implemented at Gusti so far?
I think sustainability is a big topic. For example, I believe we shouldn't have a sustainability manager. Instead, every team leader should think about what they can do to improve sustainability. In every area, we are working on many different things simultaneously.
Can you name at least one thing?
Can you name at least one thing?
I would say 60-70% of our sales currently come from items that are chrome-tanned. This harms the environment, and therefore our goal for Gusti is to have chrome-free leather in the future. Although we already have 40% vegetable-tanned leather, we want to be completely chrome-free by 2024.
What are your short-term goals for this year?
What are your short-term goals for this year?
Currently, we are also working on many small projects. For example, we have reduced the plastic content in our products and completely eliminated plastic bags. Instead, they are now shipped as paper bags. But then we learned that even paper is not sustainable. So it's best to receive them as pure leather without packaging. Now we are trying to coordinate this with our distribution channels.
What do you want to achieve in the next few years?
What do you want to achieve in the next few years?
I want to make Gusti less dependent on online marketing. For us, for me, it is very unsustainable to pay Google or Facebook for advertising, although we have to do it at the moment. So I want to be more present in the city center.
Do you specifically slaughter animals for your leather, or are these materials already used in the market? And do you have these raw materials?
Do you specifically slaughter animals for your leather, or are these materials already used in the market? And do you have these raw materials?
No animal was killed for our leather. Not specifically for our leather. You can see that in our prices. For example, if a company sells a handbag made of crocodile leather, such bags cost 500-600 euros because the animal was killed for its skin. We, on the other hand, use the waste from the meat industry. When we receive this waste, it allows us to offer affordable and sustainable products, as leather can be considered sustainable as a byproduct of the meat industry.
What has been achieved at Gusti so far?
What has been achieved at Gusti so far?
I would say the biggest thing we have achieved is specializing in a niche. We really started with fashion items like backpacks and found our niche. And I am really proud that we have so intensely engaged in bicycle products, which I believe I have never officially said. But three years ago, I had a pretty difficult time and found motivation in bicycles. Now being successful with our bicycle products is really, yes, if you ask me, one of our great successes.
What do you love most about Gusti Leder in general?
What do you love most about Gusti Leder in general?
I think there is not just one Gusti Leder. It has different facets. We have all our stores where our business managers and team members work every day and do their best to improve, craft, and sell. Then there are other parts of the company, for example, on the logistics side, where it's about improving processes so that we can ship our items faster. We try to answer our emails faster and repair as many items as possible in another area.
Our Story
Our Values
Organization
Maintain ethical behavior in the workplace, be punctual, and fulfill our commitments on time
Communication
Team collaboration and cooperation through clear communication
Reliability
Show integrity in our professional behavior
Improvement
Promote professional growth of employees through knowledge sharing and collaboration in the workplace
Christian Pietsch, CEO Gusti Leder
