Welcome to verbua workshop
We make luxury leather bags, wallets, belts and accessories loyal to the traditional French
handcrafting we inherited. Since 2013, we have settled our atelier in Bratislava with the aim of
introducing finely crafted leather goods with particular attention to functionality, durability and
elegance. Our models are made to order, with premium leather and fittings of your choice, and can
be personalized with your initials or logo. We also design and produce bespoke leather goods.
We invite you to discover our craft directly in the atelier, an authentic place filled with the smell of
leather and furnished with quality and old-time tools, machines and patterns.
Sincerely yours
Veronika and Bastien Boisanfray
My father, Thierry Boisanfray, was an accomplished saddler in one of the best atelier in France when
in 2000 he decided to buy the leatherware atelier Au Sellier, in the Normand village of Saint-Arnoult.
Au Sellier was founded in the early 60s by Mr. Deschamp, an exceptional artisan awarded as best
French workman. With no progeny willing to continue, Mr. Deschamp found in my father someone to
carry on his legacy, thus he cared to enrich Thierry with skills and techniques of this craftsmanship
for as long as he could.
I was 13 years old when my father took over Au Sellier. Since then I spent a lot of time in this
workshop learning with him as a patient and exigent instructor, always correcting technical flaws.
Studies drove me away from the atelier, as far as Bratislava, where I met Veronika in 2009. We had
settled down and had been working in different fields when Thierry announced us in 2011 that he
was preparing to retire.
Taking over the atelier was obvious to both of us, as a chance to go back to our roots, by
amalgamating Veronika’s experience in art and handcraft, and my legacy in leather crafting.
We went to France, learned and improved our skills with Thierry, and in 2013 we moved the atelier
to Bratislava to start our own one - VERBUA.
We are proud of becoming craftsmen and strongly committed to keep our heritage alive in the
workshop verbua. This implies for us to be rigorous in reproducing only the best acquired techniques.
Among them are the traditional saddler hand sewing, and the typical French beeswax edge finishing.
Performing each of these techniques is crucial to the final design and durability of all our products.
In every craft, the knowledge of material is essential, and at verbua we take care about sourcing
them responsibly. We buy our leather directly from renowned tanneries so that the quality is
guaranteed and the origin is clear. Additionally, all our hardware (zipper, buckles, locks,
reinforcement) is manufactured in Europe.
At verbua atelier, you will find a range of full grain cattle and goat leather from the finest French tanneries.
The finishes applied to the leather - called aniline or semi-aniline - preserve its pleasant touch and natural appearance.
No imperfection or irregularity, such as the marks and wrinkles of each animal, can be hidden, therefore only the best quality skins are selected by the tanneries.
These conditions make the leather, we choose, exceptional and very robust, but naturally it requires attention and regular care.
We have a wide choice of colours in our stock and order new ones regularly.
This exceptional leather used for many years at the atelier Au Sellier and by famous brands, has contributed to the fame of the tannery Rémy Carriat. It is most appreciated for the originality of its natural grain that makes every piece perfectly unique. This leather is available in a wide range of colours and two types of finishing: hand polished for a refined look, or shrunken for an emphasized structure.
Buffalo leather is ideal for the realisation of all leather goods (bags, briefcases, wallets and belts).
This full grain calf leather from Degermann tannery is a classic in French luxury leather goods, greatly appreciated by connoisseurs. With its smooth surface, it allows to make very elegant and timeless pieces. The natural appearance of this leather is preserved thanks to a aniline finish. It is available in 12 colours.
Calf leather is suitable for the production of various leather goods (bags, briefcases, wallets and belts).
Goat leather has a very elegant small bumpy grain, and is one of the most resistant ones. It is strongly attached to the French tradition of leather goods handcrafting and until today it remains mostly used for luxury accessories production. This leather gave the name to our craft in French “maroquinier” (the one making leather goods), a word coming from “maroquin” which is the goat leather mostly tanned in Morocco.
Goat leather is ideal for the production of small leather goods (bags and wallets) and available in a wide range of colours.
We order this cattle leather from the Garat tannery that was founded in 1790. Two- century experience enables this tannery to produce a remarkable leather that combines the strength of slow vegetable tanning with the suppleness of generously fatted hides. Leather goods made of it will develop a strong patina as you use them. Only coloured with natural extract, it is available in black, brown and red.
Vegetable tanned leather is used mainly for bags, briefcases and belts.
Ostrich leather is recognizable by the originality of its structure (the back part is covered with bumps) and it´s outstanding for its durability. The complex process of tanning ostrich leather is mastered by only few manufactures that are mostly located in South Africa, the natural home of the bird. This leather is available to order in a wide range of colours.
Ostrich leather is suitable for the realisation of all leather goods (bags, briefcases, wallets & belts).
We´d like to point out that we don´t work with reptile leather anymore, because we don´t agree with breeding
or hunting animals only for the leather industry supply.