After their paths crossed while they were both studying at Bayonne Business School in the French Basque Country, Mario Conti and Otxo Amade developed a friendship and soon realised that they shared a passion for men’s accessories, fashion and design that one day would be translated into a commercial venture. Motivated by a common understanding of men’s style, they decided to join forces and make their dream come true. Following some careful planning and market research, in June 2013 they launched Harker, a fashion brand to provide for the style needs of the modern man.
To create a sustainable commercial venture, Conti and Amade put their business training to good use and spent a few months observing what people wore on the streets, dissecting trends in fashion blogs and analysing the gaps in the luxury and high-end market of fashion and accessories. One conclusion that they quickly reached was that, as men embraced new technologies (in the form of mobile telephones, laptops and tablet devices) they required bags to carry their gadgets and personal belongings.
With this idea in mind, Conti and Amade decided to mark Harker’s initial creative and commercial foray into the public realm with a collection of practical and elegant bags for men. Featuring simple and yet stylish designs, Harker’s bags are made in artisanal workshops in the Spanish province of Alicante from cotton canvas, leather and metal parts also sourced in Spain. The end result is a very successful first range of briefcases, shoppers, steamers, messenger bags, holdalls and document holders that marks an auspicious start for Harker.
