Clara bartolome
FOUNDER, NIMES
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
In 2016, Clara Bartolome founded Nimes, an Argentinian accessories brand that sources natural vegetable-tanned leather from the only sustainable tannery in Argentina.
We love Nimes not only for its ultimate goal of sustainability - using materials responsibly with no waste - but also because of its mission of minimum intervention, so as to make each piece unique and unrepeatable.
On our Argentina group trips, our travelers visit Clara at her studio and get to design their own handbag, which they get to take home with them!
Follow Nimes here.
“[The most rewarding part about having your own business is] to see something that you built keep growing”
LEARN MORE ABOUT CLARA
1. YOU FOUNDED NIMES IN 2016 WITH THE GOAL OF CREATING SUSTAINABLE PIECES OF ART THAT ARE FASHIONABLE AND FUNCTIONAL. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY SINCE THEN?
We have learned that we are sure of our goal to make timeless articles, because we believe in slow fashion; we want people to have Nimes bags for life. Fashion is going that way, so we are proud to be part of that progress.
2. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A MISSION LIKE YOURS AT NIMES IN ARGENTINA SPECIFICALLY?
Our mission in Argentina is to communicate our own leather culture and make handmade products with all domestically-sourced materials. We don’t use anything that’s not from Argentina. We want to sell Argentina to the world, so when you see our bag, you know where is it from. We want everyone to know and recognize our bags.
3. WHERE DO YOU FIND MOST INSPIRATION?
I find a lot of inspiration traveling. When I travel I take lots of pictures and when I come back, I print them and hang everything on the wall so I can always see them.
4. WHAT LED YOU TO CREATE NIMES? WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE?
Santiago [Nimes co-founder] and I were both working in a big Argentinian company of menswear in design and production. We worked really well together and had similar ideas, so we decided that we wanted to do something ourselves.
5. DO YOU HAVE ANY ARTISTIC INFLUENCES?
Coco Chanel, Dior, Jacquemus, Comme des Garçons, the Row.
6. WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING PART ABOUT OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
To see something that you built keep growing. Seeing people with our bags in the street, here in Argentina and in different parts of the world, is still a satisfying surprise!