RSVP PARIS - Handmade Leather Goods

Introducing RSVP Paris. During our recent stay in Paris, we sat down with RSVP founders, Thomas Cerkevic and Jonathan Andrès, to find out more about the guys’ vision and to take a first-hand look at their beautiful range of premium leather goods. We met the two entrepreneurs in their studio, which is located in a former book-binding workshop in the 11ème arrondissement.

Seeing a new start up venture into the leather goods market is perhaps not an all-together new phenomenon, but these guys really know their trade. After working for some of the world’s leading luxury brands for more than 5 years, Thomas and Jonathan decided to develop leather goods that are of ‘True Quality’ and ‘True Price’.

“We only make leather goods, but we make them right.”

Founded in Paris in 2015, RSVP creates premium quality leather goods - handmade in France from A to Z. Thomas and Jonathan have worked alongside most of their suppliers for years. They have gained their trust, and vice versa. Handmade by expert artisans, their products are all crafted in Franche-Comté and Touraine. Naturally, their products are made from Grade-A leather, which is sourced from high profile French tanneries that either belong to or work with major luxury brands.

Opposed to an industry standard with horrendous markups of up to 12 times from atelier to customer, RSVP is fully transparent on costs and margins and has implemented a markup structure of max 2 times. All costs and margins are displayed on the website.  

“Since we value ham over spam, every item we make is limited to 100 pieces.” Each of RSVP’s products is therefore numbered from 1 to 100 – and once a series is sold out, it’s off the market. Make sure to head over to their website and have a look yourself. 

VOLUME - Artisan Donkey Milk Soaps

Situated on the heights of Ampuis, amidst the quiet hills of the regional park of Pilat and the wine heritage Côte Rôtie, Volume France produces artisan soaps from donkey milk. The soaps are handmade and produced in limited numbers, with batches often being of no more than twenty soaps. Based on the idea of natural cohabitation and committed to combining quality raw materials and local expertise, Volume France was founded by Laetitia Crevier.

VOLUME is simply the pleasure to use soaps made from the milk produces by the donkeys that I raise at Ampuis.

The team. Laetitia and her donkeys – an unexpected biodiversity and cohabitation between Bourbonnais and Sardinian donkeys – raised and milked by hand at Asinerie des Hauteurs. But what is it that makes donkey milk so precious? Enhanced by its biochemical composition, donkey milk is first and foremost used in the medical, nutritional and dermatological areas. And it’s composition of essential, anti-inflammatory acids (Omega 6,3), antiseptic enzymes (Lysozyme) as well as antioxidant vitamins and minerals (Retinol) make it indispensable for the human health.

The soaps are made using cold saponification, an environmentally friendly craft process that not only allows Laetitia to formulate an individual and harmonious blend, but also to preserve the quality of the ingredients. Once removed from the molds – one by one – the fifteen to twenty soaps per batch are stamped and numbered.

The story of Volume France is one of passion, dedication and meticulous attention to craft and honest produce.