Since Ines is gone, I'm busy making the company my own.
The passing of Ines, one and a half year ago already, is now one of the chapters of the Ines Gloves story.
The next chapter is about what I sometimes call a identity crisis.
Who is Ines Gloves?
Am I the new Ines? No, there's only one.
I'm the new owner and the son of Ines.
I told you before that Ines and I once had this conversation about our mission.
"In 10 years I will be gone, so you need to think and make a decision about our long-term mission and strategy."
My answer was that we should be a "Gucci" or "Chanel" or ... of the leather gloves.
And then I didn't mean that we are or should be or act like a Gucci or be that big either...
No, what I meant was that we should be selling and crafting the most delicious fine thin unlined leather gloves you could possibly make and find.
When Ines started the company she wanted to be smart about running a business.
She did not wanted to have a brick and mortar shop.
Selling online was easy, without the hassle and a lot of overhead cost.
Gloves do not need a lot of storage space, can be delivered through your door mailbox and shipped to any corner of the world.
And its super interesting to investigate and learn about the art of leather and glove making, its history but also the visceral dimensions.
Yes a perfect pair of leather gloves can provoke emotions and add value to who you are and what you do.
There's so much to discover.
The Dutch word for gloves is "handschoenen".
It literally means: shoes for the hands.
I still don't have a clue why some of our old gloves in our storage have written on the inside label:
Les Gants d'Ines
I do know that wearing ultimate leather gloves indicate wealth and status.
And that leather gloves are a symbol of elegance and refinement.
Now I realise that Ines Gloves is not having an identity crisis but it was me trying to find out how I need to make it my own.
Its difficult, when Ines died not only the founder but also my mother died.
Our mission has always been to enhance your elegance, but now we are also dedicated and determined to keep the craft of making traditional thin unlined leather gloves alive and save from disappearing.
Almost a mission with a holy cause!
Bob, son of Ines
The shoes of the hands - Les Gants d'Ines
