Sandain is the luxury leather brand bringing back the basics

While Sandain itself is almost a decade old – and already a favourite fixture in the Scandinavian leather goods landscape – the craftsmanship behind it runs far deeper. 126 years, to be exact. The man at the helm, Anders Sandlund, comes from a lineage of expert leather craftsmen, a legacy he has carefully woven into the fabric of the brand, reimagining traditional leatherwork for the modern, conscious consumer.

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While leather production was not always the path Sandlund envisioned for himself (he admits he resisted the family business for years, quipping, “If you grow up with something, the last thing you want to do is go to work with it” ) what he has ultimately built is a company positioned at the centre of considered luxury. “Growing up with that family business gave me a unique understanding of what is lacking in the consumer industry,” he explains, noting that he identified a clear appetite for lasting quality, trendless pieces and genuinely sustainable craft.

The Sandain product, Sandlund readily admits, is "basic" in design, boasting a simple yet elegant silhouette, yet it is rich with quality. This intentional simplicity stems from Sandlund's primary vision for Sandain: function first, aesthetic second, both of which are borne from exceptional materials. “Rather than adding a lot of stuff to compensate, we are actually removing,” he notes, asserting that Sandain has never needed the added "bells and whistles" that other bag companies often rely on. “Less is better, and that is the design philosophy which has built our visual identity and what we pass on to our customers.”

When discussing his company, Sandlund repeatedly returns to his leather heritage. From the earliest stages of inspiration and design to the meticulous sourcing of materials, each step is anchored in this legacy of knowledge and exceptional craft. Crucially, Sandain – like the companies that form part of its lineage – works exclusively with genuine leather: full-grain, vegetable-tanned, 100 per cent chrome-free and uncorrected, allowing the material’s natural character and strength to remain fully intact.

Beyond this rich heritage, what truly distinguishes Sandain is its Cow Funder Initiative in Bangladesh, a country with which Sandlund and his family have a longstanding connection. Launched in 2018, this initiative, according to Sandlund, creates a cyclical structure for the company. The model begins by supporting a woman in Bangladesh with a young calf. She raises the animal, creating an additional source of income and stability for her family. The hide from the calf is then repurposed by Sandain to craft its bags, and the remaining resources are returned to the woman for her to sell and keep the profits. “The UN says the best way to fight poverty is with livestock,” notes Sandlund. “It’s a very direct and concrete way to help that makes a huge difference. It’s one of the things that gets me up in the morning.”

View the full Sandain collection here and secure the brand's limited-edition design for Vogue Scandinavia here.