A moment only becomes immortal through emotion and the people in it.
A compagnon is such a loyal friend for such a long time that
it is a fully-fledged member of the family. Our origin lies in this trust,
this connection and this feeling.
What makes a compagnon...
Quality & production
An ideal photo bag should have function, but also style. It should be discreet enough to always have it with you. But it should cut just as good a figure on the bike in the city in the afternoon. It must be ergonomic, robust and responsible. And of course practical. And casual. And timeless, so that it still looks good years later.
Quite a lot of requirements. We ourselves particularly love things that we have been using happily for many years. Things that have won our hearts. We want every compagnon to do the same.
How do we achieve this? Find out...
The story we wrote...
The dream in the minds of the founders, Vitalis and Valentin, had already existed for a long time at that time. As cousins and best friends with creative hobbies, they were often annoyed together by the lack of a versatile camera bag that could combine function and a pleasing look.
There was a huge selection on the market, but none of them were really great. Either the material wasn't good enough, or the workmanship and durability. Or the design was terrible. Or, or, or, or.
The solution was obvious: "We want to design & build the best and highest quality leather photo bag so that we have something that we can use with pleasure for years to come."
"And maybe we could even make a few more pieces so that we can share the leather joy with others?"
Vitalis drew the first sketches, the heads smoked for nights on end, discarded ideas filled countless wastepaper baskets. But eventually the first results were achieved.
The first compagnon 'messenger', handmade in a tiny small series, was sold in December 2012 shortly before New Year's Eve. The starting signal. How fitting.
The first-generation messenger was only available in dark brown German leather. But we were well received and since then we have been preserving the essence of compagnon and constantly and carefully improving our faithful companions.
The parts of the whole are now different, their number is greater, but the soul is still in place.
Our team
Dreams are created together
Today, there is a strong, talented team behind every companion that bears the name 'compagnon'.
All compagnons are developed, designed and tested by us in Birkenfeld near Pforzheim, from the prototype to the final product. Our Heritage Line leather & canvas products are entirely manufactured in our workshop in Krakow.
Our Managing Director and co-founder Vitalis also works with the seamstresses and craftsmen there. He also regularly visits our pioneering production facility in Vietnam, where Element and Adapt Line are made, in person to optimize the numerous subtleties of the products and bring new features to you.
He is also supported by Xaver, who responsibly manages Marketing, Communication & IT .
To give Vitalis' product ideas, sketches and designs the finishing touches, our Chief Designer Kyungmi skillfully puts pen to paper and hand to the compagnons of the future.
When things get busy at all ends, Simone from Accounting & Logistics reminds us to pay special attention.
With this combination, we work every day for your unique experiences with your compagnons.
Ambassadors
Every compagnon needs friends
Creative work is fast-moving. Trends come and go by the hour. Equipment and technology can change with the requirements for each shoot. Stability, consistency and familiarity are therefore hard to find. But that is precisely our goal at compagnon. And our loyal friends, the long-time enthusiastic users of our products, are close to our hearts and have been part of the compagnon family for a long time.
We are happy to expand the compagnon family, but rarely. If you are interested in a cooperation, we have more information for you here...