Jeanne and Alex Signoles, demanding leatherworkers

The school satchel, the shopping bag, the sailor’s backpack, the US satchel … At the end of 2013, L / Uniform was born with a fixed idea: to embellish everyday life by reinterpreting a whole typology of bags for use and professions . Jeanne Signoles worked in aeronautics and finance before joining her husband in the family luxury leather goods business. With the arrival of their third child, the desire to stand out and tell a more personal story is pressing.

Among several avenues, the couple retained the strong and simple concept of a label of functional and well-crafted accessories. Somewhere between the all-leather proposition, luxurious, solid, but not very suitable for everyday life, and the synthetic material option, practical but more ephemeral and less chic. “I had a large leather and canvas bag as thick as a steamer, explains the entrepreneur. I really like the canvas. Lightweight, washable, it softens and develops a patina over time. We went from there and developed our own fabrics. “

With the exception of the khaki color, identical to that acclaimed by the army, the canvas used is specially woven for L / Uniform with the appropriate density and weight: cotton and linen threads for the natural version, and 100% cotton for the red, black, navy blue or yellow variants. All protected by specific treatments which facilitate maintenance.

No frills but customizable

The models are designed in Carcassonne, home of Alex Signoles, logistics managed in-house and manufacturing ensured by the manufacture owned by the brand in Portugal. With extreme care given to the finishes – edging in colored cotton, calibrated stitches – and a judicious choice of details dictated solely by functionality – straps, handles, buckles, leather reinforcements – the founders are building a whole universe of proposals. timeless, no frills but customizable with heat-sealed initials. The development of a part sometimes requires several months, and the specifications for quality control are very specific. Family members are the first user-testers of school bags, travel bags, cabin suitcases, etc.

Since its creation, L / Uniform has opened up to areas other than luggage. “From the start, we applied the brand name to all product families: bags, accessories, textiles, clothing, etc. right up to the food trade”, specifies Jeanne Signoles, who unveiled a lifestyle line in January 2020. “The collection was presented at Merci, the Parisian concept store, just before the first confinement, she continues. It was a great experience which brought us a lot of visibility. But just after, we had to close, and we didn’t have time to show the collection in our home corner at Le Bon Marché, a major point of sale. Nor to talk about it in our stores. “ As a result, the collection is launched only on the online store.

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