Interview with Jan-Carl Adelswärd
Photographer: Morgan Norman.
All rights reserved.
This exclusive interview with entrepreneur Jan-Carl Adelswärd was
conducted in Stockholm by Nicola Linza and Cristoffer Neljesjö during January
2017.
Tell us a bit about the history of
Baron bags.
Baron was founded in Sweden in 1978 with the vision to create handmade, elegant and classic leather briefcases. As the brand developed, canvas bags and hunting products were added. So it started out with leather briefcases, but soon came to include the canvas collection, with bags and cases specially made for travelling and hunting. Today our best-seller is the classic Weekend Bag, in leather or canvas. But briefcases are still very important part of the brand.
How did you get involved in the company?
I acquired the company a couple of years ago together with my brother Gustaf Adelswärd. The initial idea was to start my own accessories brand, but then I realised that already existing brand Baron would be the perfect platform to develop a passionate and personal brand. The positioning with high quality, timeless and classic design was perfect. And the brand name Baron was the icing on the cake since our family carries the title baron since 1782 and holds the estate Baroniet Adelswärd, the only Barony in Sweden. The only “problem” was that we did not own it; it took four years to persuade the previous owner to sell to us.
Where do you make your leather goods, are they all handmade?
Practically all our leather bags, briefcases and accessories are handmade in Italy and Sweden. The canvas line is sourced globally, mainly from China.
How would you describe the style of the
brand?
We are committed to consistent style and pay little interest in short-term trends. We make timeless bags, made to be used over and over. All Baron products combine classic elegance with the contemporary needs of the modern businessman and traveller. We are dedicated to quality and sustainability, both in terms of materials and workmanship. Our product development is focused on continuous improvement of existing models and limited introductions of new models.
How do you work to maintain the quality for the future?
Making premium bags and accessories from high quality leather and canvas is our passion. We are in close and personal contact with all our suppliers of course and have rigorous quality control before delivery. By avoiding fashion fads and seasonal collections, our product development can focus more on continuous improvement of existing models.
Describe the ideal Baron customer.
We make exclusive products but we are an inclusive brand. Anyone who likes our product is an ideal customer, and we have young and old, women and men from all backgrounds among our customers. Our typical customer however is a style and quality conscious businessman or traveller who appreciates product longevity, rather than short term fashion trends.
You are related to the infamous Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, will there be a collection inspired by him?
That temptation has always been there and “the only way to resist temptation is to yield to it” as one of Jacques contemporary role models Oscar Wilde put it. The theme of such collection should probably be marine with his history on Capri. He is also said to have travelled three times around the world. So, a Jacques Cruise Collection is definitely in my mind.
The above interview with Jan-Carl Adelswärd 2017 © Manner of Man Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher.
