How Delvaux’s CEO Is Shaping the Future of the Historic Belgian Leather House

Nearly 200 years after its founding, Delvaux continues to define a distinct space within the luxury landscape—one rooted in craftsmanship, functionality, and a deep understanding of how objects move through everyday life. Under the leadership of CEO Jean-Marc Loubier, the Belgian leather goods house has embraced both its historic legacy and a forward-looking approach that resists the speed and standardization of contemporary luxury culture.

In this conversation with Whitewall, Loubier discusses the philosophy behind Delvaux’s latest initiative, “Craft Beyond Borders,” launched in Japan as a dialogue between the Maison and master artisans whose practices reflect a similarly rigorous commitment to beauty and precision. Speaking candidly about heritage, cultural exchange, exclusivity, and the emotional longevity of luxury objects, he reflects on why Delvaux’s defining bags—from the Brillant to the Tempête to the Pin—continue to resonate across generations and geographies.

Throughout the discussion, Loubier returns repeatedly to the idea of “real life”: luxury not as spectacle, but as something personal, lasting, and deeply connected to the people who carry it.

Heritage as a Living Language

WW: Delvaux has always positioned itself at the intersection of heritage and innovation. How do you personally define the brand’s role today in a luxury landscape that increasingly values both authenticity and cultural relevance?

JEAN-MARC LOUBIER: Companies begin as individual projects, and over decades or centuries they evolve beyond their original purpose. Delvaux is nearly 200 years old, so when you look back at a company like this, you try to understand what has allowed it to survive. Heritage is not only about the past—it is about innovation, creativity, and the evolution of know-how.

“Heritage is not only about the past—it is about innovation, creativity, and the evolution of know-how.”

Jean-Marc Loubier

When I bought Delvaux in 2011, the company was on the verge of disappearing. Nothing was guaranteed. I made the decision to place it firmly within the luxury world, but to do so by bringing something different into that landscape.

Luxury had already become a major industry dominated by very powerful houses with strong identities, creativity, and global visibility. So the question was: how could Delvaux exist meaningfully in that world? I believed there was room for something that could act as an antidote to a certain standardization and massification happening in luxury.

At the same time, we were entering that world from a unique position. Delvaux is the oldest luxury leather goods house in the world, but because the company remained relatively discreet, we also had the possibility of feeling fresh. That paradox became important to us.

Our authenticity comes from the fact that we were pioneers. In 1829, we were making trunks because handbags did not yet exist. As society evolved, especially with women becoming more autonomous in cities, Delvaux evolved with it. In 1908, Delvaux lodged the first world patent for a woman’s luxury leather handbag. With the “Princesse”, Delvaux became the inventor of the modern luxury handbag as we know it today, affirming its attention to women’s growing role in society as well as societal evolution.

That is important because authenticity cannot only be nostalgic. It must also contain movement and relevance to real life. I always speak about real life. We are not in the art world. We are in the world of decorative arts, craftsmanship, and objects made to accompany people in their daily lives.

At Delvaux, there is always a relationship between beauty and function. We believe in functional beauty and aesthetic beauty together. A bag should create desire and dream, but it must also have purpose and utility.

Today, luxury is often confused with fashion or branding alone. For us, luxury is something more lasting. It is about clarity of identity, craftsmanship, and the ability to create objects that remain meaningful over time.

WW: You mentioned several times the importance of “real life” rather than art. How do you leverage Delvaux’s Belgian identity as a strength while speaking to different audiences around the world?

JML: We do not begin by speaking about Belgium because people do not buy an origin. First they encounter the bag itself. If they are not interested by what they see, they are not ready to listen further.

A Delvaux bag is never anonymous. Even if someone does not know the name of the brand, the object creates curiosity. It invites people to come closer, to touch it, and to understand it. The bag itself becomes the messenger of the Maison.

Then we explain the broader context. Belgium is a small country, but historically it was at the crossroads of Europe—of trade, craftsmanship, industry, and artistic exchange. Before Belgium existed as a nation, the region already played an important role in Europe’s cultural and economic history.

So when we speak about Belgium, we speak about openness, interconnectedness, and exchange. We speak about roots combined with curiosity toward the future. That history reflects Delvaux itself.

We try to help people understand that Delvaux is more than a company and more than a bag. Life is organic and complex, and our role is to make that complexity understandable.

A Dialogue Between Belgium and Japan

WW: Do you think that specificity—the “third way” you describe for both Delvaux and Belgium—has resonated particularly strongly in Japan?

JML: Yes, because in Japan there is already a very strong cultural relationship between beauty and function. When you look at Japanese ceramics or traditional craftsmanship, there is extraordinary precision and sensitivity to detail.

At Delvaux, our products are not loud, but they are not quiet either. They are very precise. I think that resonates with Japanese culture.

Japan was also the first Asian country to engage deeply with European luxury. Japanese clients developed an openness to craftsmanship and diversity very early on. I think Delvaux fits naturally into that dialogue because we are not trying to replace anything—we are adding something.

That is why beginning Craft Beyond Borders in Japan felt meaningful.

WW: Craft Beyond Borders suggests dialogue rather than a one-way narrative. Why was that important to you?

JML: Because true collaboration only exists when each side brings something meaningful. One plus one should become three.

The dialogue exists not only between Delvaux and the artisans, but also with the visitor or future client. They are the third participant. They interpret the work, question it, appreciate it, or reject it. That interaction creates value.

What interested me about this project was that it was not simply stamping one identity onto another. It was about understanding what exists inside each tradition and finding a meaningful connection between them.

WW: How did Japanese craftsmanship influence the project creatively?

JML: The collaboration was built around Delvaux’s defining bags—the Brillant, the Tempête, and the Pin. These bags are our ambassadors around the world.

The Japanese artisans worked through those existing forms rather than creating something entirely separate. The project was about applying their know-how and sensitivity to objects that already carry Delvaux’s identity.

What we share is a common respect for excellence, precision, simplicity, and long-lasting craftsmanship. The bag became the bond between those worlds.

“What we share is a common respect for excellence, precision, simplicity, and long-lasting craftsmanship.”

Jean-Marc Loubier

WW: This project feels as much cultural as commercial. How do you measure its success?

JML: First, people must feel that it is relevant. They must feel that what we created together is meaningful and not simply another collaboration.

There are collaborations everywhere today, but I wanted this one to feel deeper and more sincere. If people sense that complexity and honesty, then it succeeds.

At the same time, these are not museum pieces. They are meant to belong to daily life. I hope they bring pleasure to the people who carry them and that they become objects people want to speak about and share with others.

Defining Luxury Beyond Noise

WW: Looking ahead, do you see Craft Beyond Borders continuing in other places around the world?

JML: Yes, but it cannot become mechanical. Each project must feel necessary and unexpected.

This kind of work is very demanding. It takes more than a year of exchange, understanding, and collaboration. Before working with artisans or artists, I spend a great deal of time making sure they truly understand Delvaux, our teams, and our craftsmen.

Everything must ultimately tell the story of the bag. If the bag does not communicate the story clearly, then the project fails.

That is why we are demanding. But in the end, that is also the definition of luxury.

Today, luxury has become difficult to define because there is confusion between luxury, fashion, branding, and noise. At Delvaux, we believe luxury must have a clear identity and remain rooted in lasting value.

I often say Delvaux is very exclusive, and sometimes people are surprised by that. But exclusivity simply means having a clear and unique identity. At the same time, luxury must also be inclusive because it only exists through dialogue and exchange.

That balance is important to us. Our luxury cannot be arrogant. The object only exists because of the person who carries it.

A true luxury object should also endure. You may put it away for some time and then return to it years later with the same pleasure. It becomes something that can be shared, transmitted, or rediscovered.

That continuity, that relationship with time and with people, is what gives luxury its meaning.

WW: You often speak about dialogue and exchange rather than consumption. Has that changed the way you think about clients today?

JML: Yes, completely. I never use the word “consumer.” I always speak about clients or people because every person has an identity and the ability to choose.

Luxury cannot only be transactional. If it becomes only transactional, then it loses meaning. What interests me is the relationship people build with objects over time and the emotional value attached to them.

“What interests me is the relationship people build with objects over time and the emotional value attached to them.”

Jean-Marc Loubier

When someone carries a Delvaux bag, it should not feel like a logo or a trend. It should feel personal. The object becomes part of their life, their movement, their memories. That relationship is very important to us.

WW: You also mentioned that Delvaux entered Asia early in its modern development. Why was that important?

JML: At that time, Asia was driving the development of luxury globally. Everyone was looking toward China, Japan, Korea, and the broader region.

But for us, entering Asia was never only about business. It was also about finding places where people still had strong sensitivity toward craftsmanship, detail, and precision.

Japan especially already had a deep understanding of craftsmanship and cultural nuance. There was an openness to discovering something different, and that gave Delvaux an opportunity to express itself honestly.

WW: You describe Delvaux as both rooted in heritage and constantly evolving. How do you balance those two ideas internally?

JML: Heritage only matters if it remains alive. If heritage becomes frozen, then it becomes a museum piece.

For us, the question is always how to respect the values and know-how of the house while remaining connected to contemporary life. That is why I speak so much about function and real life.

The bags are not decorative objects disconnected from reality. They are companions. They move with people through cities, work, travel, family life, and everyday experiences.

That movement keeps the house alive.

The Emotional Life of Objects

WW: What role do stores play in expressing that philosophy?

JML: The store is extremely important because it is where the object meets the client physically.

Every luxury house has stores, but what matters is how you interpret them. For us, the store should create intimacy and clarity. It should help people understand the world of Delvaux without overwhelming them.

“For us, the store should create intimacy and clarity.”

Jean-Marc Loubier

The relationship between the object, the architecture, the atmosphere, and the people inside the store all contribute to that understanding.

WW: There is a lot of discussion today around “quiet luxury.” Do you think Delvaux fits into that category?

JML: I understand the term, but I think it can sometimes become simplistic.

Delvaux is not loud, but it is not invisible either. The bags have a very strong identity. They are recognizable through their form, proportion, and precision rather than through obvious branding.

What matters to me is not whether luxury is loud or quiet. What matters is whether it is sincere and lasting.

WW: What does long-lasting mean to you today?

JML: Long-lasting means respecting the values and craftsmanship that created the object in the first place.

A true luxury object should age well emotionally as well as physically. You should be able to rediscover it years later and still feel pleasure when you use it again.

That is very different from fast consumption. Luxury should create continuity rather than exhaustion.

WW: Finally, what do you hope people understand most clearly about Delvaux today?

JML: I hope people understand that Delvaux is not only about heritage or exclusivity. It is about creating meaningful objects with honesty, precision, and humanity.

“It is about creating meaningful objects with honesty, precision, and humanity.”

Jean-Marc Loubier

The object exists because of the person who carries it. That relationship is essential.

Luxury should not create distance between people. It should create emotion, dialogue, memory, and transmission. That is what interests me most.