Arquitube

Wear your plans

What Did I do?

  • Branding
  • Product design and sourcing
  • Retail design and management
  • Product manufacturing
  • Photography and creative direction
My sister is a very talented person who was studying architecture in London back in 2012. When She complained about how ugly the black plastic tubes she used to carry her plans and painting were, I knew this could the idea to build my first company. This was an incredible trip that brings me from my parent’s garage to open my first shop in London
 
Arquitube was my first company and the best business school ever. I had to continuously learn new skills and found solutions all the time for problems that I could never imagine.
 
Thanks to Arquitube I learnt how to run a business but also things like sew, cut and work with leather and fabrics, develop a product, work with suppliers and find sources. From the marketing perspective creating a consistent brand was a real challenge. It was also the first time I sold products online and internationally.
 
The best part of all was to open a shop in London just a few months after I created the company. This was not just a dream coming true but the best experience. 
My sister is a very talented person who was studying architecture in London back in 2012. When She complained about how ugly the black plastic tubes she used to carry her plans and painting were, I knew this could the idea to build my first company.
 
Using my mum’s sewing machine, the first leather tube prototype became real quickly. I just had to improve my product and practise was the only way. I spend all that summer in my parent’s garage using my brand new industrial sewing machine, the cutting press and the glue gun. In September, my product was ready. I handmade a first  production of one hundred leather tubes.
 
After the business plan was clear and the brand’s identity created, and all the photos were taken in my bedroom, the Arquitube’s online store was developed with the help of an agency. Things started working and we sold the first tube quickly.
 
Everything worked well enough to rent a bigger space and start thinking about my next goal: to open a shop in London. 
 
Camden Lock market was the perfect place: cheap rent, lots of people around and not too exposed in case I make any mistake (that I did)
 
When the lease conditions were agreed, it was time to created more retail-friendly products than tubes. This is why I design the first handbags, cardholder, and pencil case collection. 
 
I flew to London to measure the space. After that, I built the shop in my workshop, packed everything in a van, drove to London, assembled the shop, and start trading. 
 
The shop was a big success, especially after customers could design their own bag thanks to the modular design I created. 
 
After six months trading at Candem Lock Market, it was clear for me that there was a big potential in selling bespoke handbags. It was also clear that i needed a new brand.