In the summer of 2018, my mother and I were walking through the picturesque streets of southern France, where we came across a small wicker bag that immediately inspired us. We both felt creativity rising within us, because with my school commitments and my mother's (Nina) job in real estate, this quality was rarely expressed.

We took the inspiration from the south of France, the wicker bag and the check of Brigitte Bardot, with us to the Netherlands. We got to work straight away. We received kind responses from those around us and that gave us the idea to set up SA Design. SA Design stands for Sofía Andrea, my initials.

Initially, our plan was to go to markets with wicker bags and Spanish espadrilles, but unfortunately corona came, so there were no more markets and I got sick. I was diagnosed with the
eating disorder anorexia. Working on our company took a back seat, but we did not sit still.

During my recovery, being creative turned out to be a welcome distraction that was good for myself and our family. Decorating wicker bags and making jewelry gave me peace of mind and our goal to make sustainable products gave me the will not to give up. So despite the setbacks we continued. We decided to create a website where we could share our mission.

When I look back on the past few years, I am proud of how far I have come. I have now recovered and am grateful for the journey I have taken. I feel happy and full of positivity in life. My head is full of creative ideas that I can share with the world through our company. Our story continues, driven by passion, love and the desire to have a positive impact on the world.

I love bags. Always has been. Who not? ;-D As a little girl I walked through the streets of Madrid with my own handbag. Really so cute when I think about it, but also so recognizable from my own daughter Sofía when she was little. Whenever we went out for even a moment, a whole arsenal of things went in her bag.

Bags are so special too! A bag is an extension of yourself, your outfit, your identity. I really feel like wearing a beautiful glamor bag to a night out or shopping with a friend and having a nice, handy eye-catcher with me.

Unfortunately, due to today's society where everything is ready-made on the shelves, we have forgotten how all those beautiful bags are made
come. It is simply not possible that a bag costing € 19.95 is made in a 'conscious' way from good materials and in good conditions.

I wanted to go to fashion school when I was 18, but I decided to study Spanish and later Business Administration, “better for your future”. But it was precisely that future that I wanted to do better, differently.

And so SA Design was born during a wonderful trip to the south of France. Shortly after the founding of SA Design, Sofía unfortunately became seriously ill. But the great thing is that our company turned out to be the perfect therapy for her recovery. That period gave our entire family extra bonding and a different view on life. We really make choices about what matters. Fortunately, she is completely better and we can fully express our passion and creativity in our company.

We consciously choose to make locally, in a traditional manner and collaborate with other family businesses to keep the chain transparent. And it's just more fun! We are therefore proud that we can carry an Amsterdam quality mark for sustainability, creativity and craftsmanship. And we like to share that positive energy! With our stories, travels and of course our bags and accessories.