In a small atelier in Amsterdam, José Mollura handcrafts custom bags that combine rich Patagonian leather with up-cycled green coffee jute. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Mollura’s journey in coffee began when he was backpacking through South American coffee plantations after graduation, sparking a love of coffee that led him to his current position roasting coffee for Brandmeesters in Amsterdam. Mollura also owns two consecutive wins in the Dutch Coffee in Good Spirits competition.
You can feel that globe-spanning journey in the gorgeous pieces he creates. When we saw them ourselves, we knew we had to do something special, so we reached out to a friend: coffee professional and model Jennifer Prince. This shoot features three of Mollura’s pieces modeled in New York City at Pulley Collective, an innovative shared micro-roasting facility.
José Mollura first learned how to design and make handbags while volunteering in southern India. He is responsible for 100% of the production on these bags, hand-crafting each component and combining them on his 1970s Adler sewing machine.
The bags come in a number of formats, and our shoot features the “Continental” duffle bag and “Catando” shoulder bag, which is somewhere between a messenger and a briefcase in size. All of the leather is imported from Argentina, and Mollura uses the leftover green coffee bags from his work as a roaster.
Mollura also makes incredible full leather aprons from the same Argentinian leather. These aprons combine a ruggedly capable look with sumptuous detailing and heavy-duty hardware.
If you want to see Mollura in action and learn more about bag design, most months he puts on a “Live Atelier” event at his Amsterdam workshop. Prospective attendees can find more details on Facebook.
Bags are available for purchase here.
Jennifer Prince’s hair is by Kelly Wright at Arrojo Studio. Makeup and wardrobe by Jennifer Prince. Tank and wool shorts from Nanda; other garments from the model’s private collection.
Styling and production by Sprudge.com Assistant Editor Alex Bernson.
Photos by D. Robert Wolcheck for Sprudge.com.
