Written by Dan Skinner in Interviews on the 3rd April 2017

A bag is a key accessory for any outfit. Useful, easy to carry and spaciousness is key - as well as needing to fit in with everyday life. Whether going to work or having a day out, a bag is an essential piece of kit and having one that can complement more than one outfit is a lifesaver. So, investing in a few quality bags is crucial in order to maintain a strong look but keep practicality as priority. Unfortunately, with quality comes a price, but thankfully the guys over at Oppermann London are a brand that places its customers first by reducing mark-up price for prestigious materials and keeping costs at a minimum. They work directly with each manufacturing partner and only distribute directly to individual customers, meaning they’re able to offer a superior product at a fraction of the conventional retail price.

What’s the story behind the brand? 

“It all started the Christmas when my brother wanted to gift me a case for my new Macbook. We were looking for something simple, which would allow the leather to shine; something modern and masculine, something of good quality, yet relatively affordable. At that time, this seemed an impossible task. However, not being able to find the right laptop case later led to the start of Oppermann. Since starting up, we’ve discovered a few flaws in the industry which we use to constantly refine our brand.”

Why should people choose Oppermann and not another leather bag maker - what makes you unique? 

“I could offer long answers to this question, but I will do the opposite because I think we live in a world where people are bombarded with information from everywhere, making it difficult for them to make sense of it. We launched Oppermann with a disruptive agenda.” 

You guys are brothers, so what roles do you play when it comes to running the business?  

“We are lucky in that sense because we complement each other well. I studied design engineering, so I handle production, design and operations. Niklas, with his business degree has taken over the digital, the marketing and accounting. But of course we communicate every step of the way, and we always make decisions together. We trust each other’s opinion more than anything, which I consider to be key to our success.”

The name Oppermann has grown at an incredible rate, what do you attribute to your success?  

“Every detail from finding materials, designing each detail of the products and each step of the production is checked and approved by us. All our products are designed from scratch, we would never take an existing style from a factory and slap our logo on it. Our manufacturers even think we are a pain to work with mostly because we want to get involved in each step of the production. We visit them monthly and we are very perfectionist when it comes to the design and quality of our products. Every component that goes into making an Oppermann product is individually sourced or developed by us, making it possible to deliver a superior end-product. We are proud of our partners and show publicly on our website exactly where it’s made.” 

Your bags are being used all over the world, how are you still able to keep the simplicity and purity behind the brand?  

“I think we have achieved that by communicating as much as possible with our customers, and by staying honest and transparent to them. With our core business being online, customer service and online reputation is one of the most important aspects of our brand, and everyone in the team is involved in making sure each of our customers has an awesome experience.”

What can we expect from Oppermann in the near future? 

“We’re launching a new collection later this spring which will be quite different from our current range. It will focus on the urban commuter and traveller, featuring new materials and bringing a completely new look to Oppermann. But we will however stay true to our values and design philosophies.”  

Is there an end goal for the company?  

“Ever since we have started Oppermann, we aimed to create modern products with some of the finest materials, offered at attainable prices. That hasn’t changed and will never change. But we always look at how we can refine our products, improve customer service and generally provide better value. That is why we don’t work with seasonal styles or products; because it gives us the chance to make small improvements with each production of the same item. Once we have a product in our range, we look to keep it in our range for years and keep making it better.”

We visit Oppermann London, the luxury bag brand to interview co-founder Mattis Oppermann about how it began and what the future holds.