Andrés Gallardo

Andrés Gallardo and Marina Casal did not come from the world of ceramics, but they discovered in broken porcelain something few had explored: the potential to transform imperfection into unique pieces. What began as an artisanal project in 2011 is now a flagship store in Madrid’s Las Letras neighbourhood, located inside a restored former print workshop that preserves its original exposed brickwork and wooden beams.

While jewellery first put the brand on the map, it was the handbags that took it to the world stage. Clean, refined designs where a single bold, sculptural porcelain piece is combined with expertly crafted leather from Ubrique. Hands holding a heart, rabbits, snakes, flowers: each figure is created in specialised workshops in Portugal and Spain and fired at temperatures above 1,600 degrees to ensure durability.

The contrast between the coolness of porcelain and the warmth of leather has become the brand’s signature, explaining why Paul Smith sells them in London and why institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao have included them within their collections and cultural circuits.

Each handbag is displayed for what it truly is: a small sculpture that also functions as a fashion accessory. The boutique, with a 20th-century numismatic display case as its centrepiece, reinforces this vision. It is not a traditional shop, but a gallery where what customers purchase becomes, more often than not, a piece of art designed to be worn.