I recently mentioned that, besides writing this blog, one of my goals for the year was to look for funding for the brand. And the good news is: I’m sticking to it. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on my pitch deck (the document used to introduce the brand to investors) and it’s actually been a very interesting exercise. I’m lucky to have a good friend helping me, and for the first time, I feel kind of done with it… and happy.
For a creative profile like mine, this kind of exercise is everything I usually hate the most. Like an impossible mountain to climb. Maybe I’m becoming a more serious person, more respectful of my “duties”. Or maybe it’s simply because I now know my brand by heart, and after four years of testing and learning, I’m finally able to put all of this into words.
The point is: I had to go back to the fundamentals of RECO, the core elements of the brand. My friend did a first draft where everything was centered around the use of dead-stock leather, scarcity, limited pieces, upcycling. And I must admit that at the launch of the brand, our whole narrative was very focused on this (and it still is) in a way. But for me, it was more a reason to exist than the core idea itself.
Let me explain.
I’m a designer. I work for other brands, and I know the system very well. I always knew that if I launched my own brand one day, I would have to reinvent my way of working, to do things differently from what I do when designing for others, to innovate, and to challenge the status quo.
Using dead-stock leather is not revolutionary. The real “innovation” , what truly makes RECO meaningful to me, is the use of patchwork as a technique to assemble our bags. This is where the real impact on leather waste happens, because waste is the real issue. Dead stock is also waste: leather produced in excess by brands or tanneries, sometimes because of wrong colours, quantities, quality, or seasons.
So for me, the main reason to use dead stock is that it allows me to make our bags in lambskin nappa leather while keeping the price affordable. Dead-stock materials are significantly less expensive than produced leather. I love nappa, its hand feel, its softness, the movement, the depth of its colours. It’s a challenging material for bags: it doesn’t have much structure, it’s delicate, and the skins are small. It’s a rare and precious material, and by that, I mean expensive. This is why I explored sourcing it from dead stocks.
The challenge today is how to scale a business using dead stock, or how to work with produced leather without increasing our prices, but that’s another subject I’d love to talk about another day.
Another important reason I wanted to use dead-stock leather is because I strongly believe that putting boundaries on the creative process makes it even more creative. It’s like committing to an idea and studying it so deeply that you end up exploring all its possibilities.
When visiting factories for other brands, I often spent time in their warehouses, looking for materials we could use for prototypes. For me, this was always incredibly inspiring. Just seeing a material could already give me ideas for a shape, a bag, or a concept.
So for RECO, I contacted tanneries I had already worked with (those producing nappa leather) and asked them to send me dead-stock swatches. That moment was pure excitement. Like opening a present. Sometimes I was surprised, sometimes even confused by the colours. I started imagining colour combinations, seasonal palettes, calculating how many bags could be made per colour depending on availability. It was so much fun.
I’m convinced that working with dead stock pushed me towards colour combinations I would never have imagined otherwise. I’m also very sensitive to the idea of creating small runs, sometimes only 10 pieces, often non-repeatable. This is where I felt I was creating something truly aligned with what a new brand should be today: offering something special, meaningful, and respectful, even if it’s something we don’t strictly need.
I’m not saying we are stopping the use of dead-stock leather. But I wanted to be clear about the reasons behind it (beyond sustainability alone) and explain why the brand will also evolve towards using produced leather. This will allow us to structure collections in a more efficient and long-term way, less dependent on seasons and extreme limitations.
This doesn’t mean giving up on sustainability. For me, sustainability also comes from reducing waste through technique, being transparent about who we work with and how, and being honest about the origins of our materials. Testing and learning also means accepting that what initially brought success can sometimes become what limits growth and longevity.
I also feel that when everything is made from dead stock, it can paradoxically make pieces feel less unique. Whereas offering a selection of very special, rare colours, sometimes even in other materials, can feel much more meaningful. Like our capsule made from embroidered satin fabric, sourced from an old stock I found in our factory in Spain.
I truly believe there is space for different ways of producing, as long as they align with our values.
So I’ll leave you with this question:
Does the fact that a product is made from dead stock make you want it more? Is it a real reason to buy?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you for reading, and see you soon.
Continuará…
Best,
Bea
Founder of RECO
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