Gretchen -Berlin-Accessories, Women

he early days of Anne-Christin The history of Gretchen is most closely linked to its designer and co-founder Anne-Christin Kirsten Hofmann. Born in Wetzlar (Germany) in 1981 she grew up within the traditional family-run leather production business Otto Kessler. Just having started to walk, she already played hide-and-seek with her brother in the leather goods store, running around between piles of leather and shelves full of finished accessories. Breathing in the air of leather since her first days, Anne-Christin was bound to develop a deep affinity for the material and its products. She designed her first ladies leather glove made from finest Nappa leather in combination with luxurious pony fur – and it became one of the absolute best-sellers of Otto Kessler that year. Ever since this kick-off start, Anne-Christin has designed the entire ladies’ and mens’ glove collection for the family business, encompassing over 100 new models each year. Her designs were sold all over the world, many of them to top international luxury brands. With each further collection Anne-Christin deepened her product knowledge and design proficiency not only of leather gloves but also of other small leather goods and bags that she created. International focus After finishing school, she lived for almost 5 years in London and Madrid – two vibrant European fashion metropolises that influenced and refined her understanding of fashion and reflect in form of an international flair in her collections. Whilst pursuing a Business Studies degree in London Anne-Christin constantly developed her design skills through various design courses, such as a Master course at the Madrid Kroom-Dos-Diseno fashion school focusing entirely on the designing of leather goods accessories. Always looking for new stimulating experiences and curious to learn about new cultures and countries, Anne-Christin took off to leave Europe behind her and lived in Peru and Chile in 2003. The immense beauty and calmness of the landscapes she visited were a great contrast to the buzzing cities of her studies and have become an important source of inspiration for her works. The creation of Gretchen With her creativity and passion for leather products on one hand and the business education and entrepreneurial spirit on the other it was only a matter-of-course that whilst still completing her BA course, Anne-Christin founded her own accessories company together with her partner Michael Georg Schmitt in 2004. Paying tribute to Anne-Christines’ roots a German name was chosen for the new venture. “Gretchen” is an old German name meaning “little pearl”, and it depicts perfectly the philosophy of the brand: “To create precious and exquisite accessories for ladies.” The design Uniquely different and sensuous shapes, full of expression and emotion – this is what makes up for a Gretchen. The beauty is in the clean-cut shapes of the handbags, which is why “less is more” is the maxim for our designs. Intriguing little details such as perforations, stitching, studs or metal components are included so as to underline the shape and individual character of each bag. Aside of fugitive short-lived fashion trends of the main stream market, Gretchen accessories have their own unmistakable and exclusive style that make them an object of desire for many seasons to come. The quality We at Gretchen believe that true beauty is not only about the design of an accessory but to a significant degree also about the quality of the materials used and the craftsmanship behind. It goes therefore without saying that we select only the best high-quality leathers from Europe – namely Italy and Spain – for the production of our accessories. You will surely note the difference of the soft and sensuous leather when you touch your Gretchen handbag. We manufacture our Gretchen accessories solely in European centres of traditional handbag and small leather goods production in Spain, Italy and Germany. Our fine leather gloves are still produced in the traditional table-cutting method. The accumulated expertise of our craftsmen guarantees for a long-lasting quality of all Gretchen accessories.