Olivier de Mestral ⭐ Top pick

Each piece is conceived with its future owner, from leather selection to the final stitch. No catalogue, no collection, no compromise on volumes.

Olivier de Mestral spent ten years in banking before walking away from it. The trigger was the Madoff scandal in 2008. Faced with the collapse of a system he knew from the inside, he chose a radical change of life. Not a whim, a deep conviction. He wanted to work with his hands and make something tangible and lasting.

Initially drawn to shoemaking, he eventually moved toward saddlery. He earned his CFC saddler qualification with the Swiss Saddlers Association in Aargau, a demanding training path that covers leatherwork in all its rigor. In 2009, he set up at 30 rue du College in Nyon, in French-speaking Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The workshop has remained there ever since, in this small Vaud town facing Mont Blanc.

Three crafts coexist in his daily work: harness maker, leatherworker, and saddler. The methods are those of traditional saddlery: hand stitching with waxed linen thread, hand-painted edges, and piece-by-piece assembly without glue or shortcuts. Thick hides come from England, vegetable tanned according to centuries-old methods. Fine hides are French. No industrial leather, no chrome tanning. Material choices are as uncompromising as the making itself.

The workshop's defining trait is full bespoke work. No catalogue, no predefined models, no seasonal collection. Every bag is designed with the client, from shape to leather choice, including dimensions, pockets, and finishes. The result is a unique piece, conceived for a precise use and built to last for decades.

Output is deliberately limited to a few dozen pieces per year. The team is Olivier, one leatherworker, and one apprentice. Each piece requires dozens of hours of work. The Nyon workshop is at once a place for design, production, and direct contact with clients. There is no middleman and no reseller.

Olivier de Mestral regularly takes part in the Journees des metiers d'art, opening his workshop to the public. His positioning is art craftsmanship applied to leather goods, with no concessions on volumes or lead times. The leather enthusiast community sees him as one of Switzerland's best saddler-leatherworkers. A former banker who chose to start over with a head knife and linen thread.