Price transparency

At LOUÉ STUDIO, we have nothing to hide. We believe it’s important to share the true costs of what you’re paying for when purchasing a meaningful product such as a handbag.

Thanks to our direct-to-consumer model, we offer exceptional quality at fair prices. If we sold through traditional retail, our prices would be twice higher!

Every LOUÉ STUDIO piece involves multiple stages of development. There’s the cost of making a bag, and a markup. Our markup supports essential costs, including design, product development, materials research, payment fees, salaries and the work of photographers and consultants. Below is an example of the costs of our Loop Shoulder Bag compared to traditional retail costs. Notice the cost of materials - our premium MIRUM leather is actually more expensive than animal leather due to its unique properties and sustainability credentials!

We’re proud to share this insight into our pricing and to offer you genuine value in every product we create.

PRODUCTION: Handbag production & laser engraving of logo

RAW MATERIALS: Leather, lining, etc.

IMPORT: From Italy to the United Kingdom

PACKAGING: Dust bags, boxes, wrapping paper, tags, etc.

VAT (VALUE ADDED TAX): The standard rate of VAT in the UK is 20%

RUNNING COSTS

  • Product design & development
  • New material research & testing
  • 2% payment fees & webshop maintenance
  • Photography
  • Marketing
  • Salary & consultants fees

Supply chain transparency

Understanding the origins of our materials is crucial — not just for calculating a traceability score, but for ensuring we uphold the highest ethical standards. For example, MIRUM is made with ~50% rubber, and the risk with rubber is that it can cause deforestation if not sourced responsibly. Therefore, we ensured that the rubber is FSC certified, which it is. Moreover, we know exactly where in Thailand it’s sourced from and processed which ensures a total responsible approach.

Another example is cotton. We had to ensure it wasn't sourced from regions like Xinjiang in China, where forced labor exists. By obtaining detailed information from the supplier, we confirmed exactly where in Turkey our cotton is grown and woven, and verified that it is truly organic, as certified by GOTS.

A component I decided to avoid altogether, mainly due to the high risk of unethical labor practices and the complete lack of traceability, is metal hardware. I couldn’t bring myself to use such a critical component without knowing where the metal was actually mined or under what conditions. I thought I could do without it and create something more unique—that’s how I came up with the idea of the loop closure!

Traceability is a major decision factor for key materials like leather and lining. For smaller components such as thread and adhesive, while sustainability is crucial, traceability is a secondary consideration—we address it once we’ve secured suitable natural options (finding the right natural thread is already challenging!).

I've been in contact with all our suppliers to gather information on each component in our bags. Although I haven’t been able to obtain all the details, I’m proud to share that our initial traceability score stands at approximately 88% for our shoulder bag, covering all supply chain tiers from raw material to final manufacturing. This is a great start for a bag made from 8 different materials!

Here I am in our factory, weighing the components of our bags for these calculations. They told me I’m the first designer to do this—I'm pretty sure they thought I was a bit crazy!

Full transparency

TIER 1 – Handbag manufacturing and logo engraving

TIER 2 – Where our materials are made, e.g., MIRUM leather, cotton lining, etc.

TIER 3 – Where the raw materials are processed, e.g., rubber or cotton weaving

TIER 4 – Where the raw materials are sourced, e.g., latex and cotton

OVERALL TRACEABILITY: 88%

This score is the average of the 4 supply chain tiers.

More information on our supply chain and scoring methodology coming soon!