History

He decided to step out on his own after 8 years as a leather craftsman. He had acquired sufficient knowledge and skills from hand sewing kilometres worth of bridles, head-pieces and the many other trappings associated with horsemanship, which were especially prepared for the Royal Household while spending the summer in San Sebastian.

At the age of 22, he set up a small shop located in an attic in Calle San Jeronimo. This young and enterprising craftsman could not imagine how big his business would become, after years of tenacity, passion and dedication alongside his wife, Pepi Baragaña, involved with him in this leatherware venture.

In making them, they combined the great craftsman’s skills of Manolo and the exquisite taste in designing details and finishings that Pepi printed with her great talent.

Pepi developed his skills in the family haute couture workshop that his mother, an accredited dressmaker who had worked as a first officer of Balenciaga during the Belle Epoque in San Sebastián, brought forward.

The partnership didn’t take long in assembling a faithful following of clientele for their products, which soon became synonymous with quality, distinction and sophistication.

The brand gained even more fame thanks to the quality of their manufactured goods and the work that Pepi carried out in the establishment which was opened in the basement.

Currently, at the San Martín Street store, in addition to the store, there is the headquarters and a workshop laboratory where all the creations of the brand are crafted and where research and test work is carried out.

The slider in their handbag zippers was designed by Pepi Baragaña in 1977. It was inspired by the blocks of stone masonry in the facades of historic buildings in San Sebastian.

The phased entry into the business of the couple’s seven children, largely added to this rigour in their work, as well as bringing freshness and creativity. This means that today BOX is a reference for quality leather goods, with a recognised clientele over a number of different countries.

This strategy was developed step by step from its customers, who in those days requested reproductions of the finest creations from the French leatherware masters.

Managing their workshops and stores, and being in touch with the public every day, allows the Gonzalez-Baragaña brothers to renovate constantly and adapt BOX to new times, ensuring that first and foremost their designs are comfortable, functional and fashionable.

Ofreciendo Calidad

There are already three generations of women who enjoy this versatile model. Its sober beauty and unique shape are the secret of the permanent youth that has made it the most desired BOX bag in San Sebastián.

For this, Gerardo González, developed a jacquard lining that since then is present in all its products.

By the mid-80s, BOX had gained a reputation for quality in the market. Captivated by their creations and experience, the company was asked by different manufacturers and brands to enter into joint ventures for designing and consultancy services for collections in the world of leather.

Since adolescence, Gerardo González has inherited a great passion for “the art of skin” that his father, an excellent and well-known Moroccan, taught him.

With a natural artistic talent and creativity in constant evolution, he uses the knowledge of the skin and its secrets, adopts quality as an emblem and leads and shapes the stylistic universe of BOX San Sebastián.

The stirrup is a fundamental metallic part in identifying the different harnesses in the leather coverings used when riding horses. Manolo had a special appreciation for the stirrup when he began his apprenticeship as a leather craftsman. The stirrup and various pieces of saddlery decorated the shop-workshop of Fuenterrabía street.

BOX pays homage to its craftsman roots, by further linking the spirit of craftsmanship and leather working that the brand imprints on the preparation of products made in small series and by hand, thereby rendering them virtually unique.

At the same time, it made its first foray into the world of perfumery by launching the ESSENCE OF LEATHER inspired by the smell of BOX leather goods.

Knowing the success of their products among the select Japanese clientele that reaches their stores in San Sebastian, plans to consolidate this demanding market in the coming years.