A lot of new things at Scheer. The imperial shoemaker presents exquisite bags, belts and small leather items. Made by hand in Vienna.

“What belongs together will grow together”. For all intents and purposes this famous quote by Willy Brandt regarding the fall of the Berlin wall can also be applied to Scheer. Founded in 1816, the former supplier to emperor Franz Joseph I and shoemaker of the German emperor Wilhelm II, has continually expanded his portfolio and has successfully been in business for over 200 years.
Three new categories – bags, belts, and small leather items – were added, and now the customers of Scheer have the possibility to buy a whole range of products. “There was always this vision to achieve even more with our creativity,” explains Markus Scheer, who is leading the business as the seventh generation, “however one always has to be careful with such a project, since the ‘original-brand’ must be able to coexist and function at the same time. It cannot be damaged in any way.”

For many years, they were busy laying the foundation for an individual production, to build a workshop structure and equip it with charming, lively machinery because as Markus Scheer explains: “We bought an old workshop, which belonged to a very renowned bag maker, and spent a lot of time creating products which are through and through Scheer. We call the vision behind it ‘coronation’: the customer has the incredible luxury to come here, fall in love with a piece of leather and then have access to four crafting methods which all work at the highest standard.” This is due to the fact that the individual crafts help each other and there is a constant exchange among them. “There is a fantastic stream of communication and passion.”

One person who specifically helps this stream flow is Thomas Hicker. Growing up in the leather production business of his family, he became “infected”, as he likes to call it, with the desire to learn the profession of bag making, improve his knowledge in Germany and Great Britain and now has the ­opportunity to cover the whole industry. Since nearly two years he has been responsible for bags, belts and small leather items at Scheer – it would be near impossible without his enormous network.

 

 

“The fascinating aspect for me is the basic material leather, the exciting however the variety of the work – the connection of the materials, in order to create quality. A lot of research goes into it, I have to find the right supplier for everything and a solution to every problem.” On a yearly basis around 600 individual products join the classical collections, some of these special productions taking up to half a year to complete. “From key pockets to wardrobe trunks we produce everything which is desired.” With such a workload passion for their products is a significant drive for Thomas Hicker and his two co-workers. “The customer has many options available to him, furthermore he can personalize it himself and inform us about his wishes which we then implement. Or maybe the customer has his own idea. In such a case the approach is similar to shoes: first the prototype is built, then one starts with the original. Of course this requires quite an effort, but it is possible at all times.”
Calling the new crafts “start-ups”, Markus Scheer has become quite the bag fan himself. Sometimes he carries shoulder bags even without any content. “Just because I find them so pretty …!”

 

 

 

Text : KLAUS PETER VOLLMANN

Photos : PETER RIGAUD