Responsibility

Handmade in Germany. As a manufacturing fashion company – this is hard to imagine for many of today’s fashion labels. At B.BELT, this was a matter of course from the very start. We’re aware of the responsibility we have as a fashion label in this industry, and we go far beyond the required sustainability standards. Strictly according to the motto “as local as possible”, we work hand in hand with Central European suppliers and make every single belt locally in southern Germany. Due to our local manufacturing, we have very short transport routes and save CO2 Emissions along the whole value chain. The value chain is populated by several family-run businesses with whom we’ve been working closely for decades. The nearest tanner, for example, is located in the immediate vicinity – just a 15-minute walk from our Metzingen headquarters.

Ingredients

The basis of every product is its raw material. Three form the core of B.BELT: leather, metal, yarn. All our materials come from Europe. We completely avoid exotic leathers and artificial leathers made from crude oil. We want to create the most sustainable, lifelong companions possible – and for this we need environmentally friendly ingredients of the highest quality.

  • Leather

    We treasure leather for its special properties. It is strong yet flexible and resists tearing. At the same time, it always retains its unique character. The source and quality of our leather are very important to us. We use high-quality, mainly vegetable tanned cowhide, which is a byproduct of the meat industry. Wherever possible, we source it from our partner tannery directly in Metzingen as well as from small, individual tanners in northern Italy. We have been working with some tanneries for decades.

  • Metal

    The second important component of our products is metal. More precisely, zamak and sheet steel. Our clasps, rivets, and overlays are made from these raw materials. But we don’t simply select and buy these metal parts. Together with our partners from Spain, France, and Italy, we continually develop new parts that are perfectly matched to each belt. This richness of materials is particularly evident in the numerous rivets of diverse shapes and textures found in our rivet warehouse. We currently have over 15 million rivets in dozens of variations on hand for B.BELT alone.

  • Yarn

    The smallest, most refined part of our belts is an especially important one for us: the filament yarn, consisting of a specially woven multifilament. It is used in one of the final steps of our production process: application of the hand stitching. A technique handed down from traditional saddlery. In this step, the leather is attached to the belt buckle by hand using the thread. More precisely, it is sown in three overstitches on each side, knotted, and finally sealed by fire. Even though this handwork step is very time-consuming, every individual B.BELT is finished with the distinctive filament yarn.

  • Leather Working Group

    Philipp Bazlen GmbH is committed to supporting responsible leather manufacturing across the globe and that is why we are proud members of Leather Working Group.

    leatherworkinggroup.com

Manufacturing - Where the magic happens

Truly wondrous things happen in our production process. Glovemakers, saddlers, and makers of fine bags from over ten countries work together in a 5,200-square meter space – with the goal of producing the perfect belt. But for us, perfect doesn’t mean plain and sober. For us, perfect means bringing out the unique character of the material. This is well illustrated by the example of leather: every leather hide has its own grain, its own identity, its own history. In the course various handcrafted steps, we make sure that each product gets the attention it deserves. The story continues as soon our customers receive and put on our product. For it is only with time that leather develops its characteristic patina – giving each belt its own distinctiveness and making it a unique piece. But how exactly does the process work that enables us to produce such “buttery soft” belts. Over the years, we at B.BELT have tested out an incredible amount. Not everything immediately worked out how we imagined. So, we kept tinkering, adapted our machines, and evaluated each step.

People

The heart of our label is our team. Without each and every one of these specialists we are nothing. Not only because we create so much by hand, but also because great ideas require passionate people. And we find them and rely on them at B.BELT to meet our high standards of work and product. In addition to exciting young talents, many employees have stayed with us for several decades. We completely avoid exploitation of cheap production in third countries, only manufacturing under the fairest conditions – handmade in Germany. We believe you can see it in our products.

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