About

Laauw is a Dutch design label which was founded in 2016 by three friends with a similar dream. This dream came from their shared passion for entrepreneurship and their eye for fashion and lifestyle. On top of that, they saw the beauty in building something from scratch. They took the leather industry – which is incorporated in the history of their hometown Waalwijk – as the base for their products. Their shared interest in different cultures became the foundation for their storyline. The three then just used the freedom they had to start up this brand and build their dream; Laauw was born.

Identity

The name ‘Laauw’ is a reference to what the Dutch word ‘lauw’ stands for. it’s an open minded, almost indifferent point of view; everything is good until proven otherwise. This definition of openness makes for a view on life – and therefor on business – where possibilities and chances take the upper hand over problems and obstacles. The extra ‘a’ in the brand name shows that it’s perfectly fine to be different. It’s fine to be yourself. You can be who you want to be. You decide.

This world is yours.

The people

The people behind Laauw are three young, Dutch and ambitious (aren’t we all) minds named Rob van Ravenstein, Dorus Leenaarts and Joep Klerx. They have very different personalities and strengths, which when combined, create the perfect balance for a team to thrive.

Rob is who we call the king of contacts. He got this nickname because of the way he acts like a chilled spider in a his big network-web. His creativeness and eye for detail in fashion and lifestyle makes him the pivot in the design phase of the collections. He thinks in possibilities rather than difficulties and has a positive attitude towards life in general, which makes it hard to not like the guy.

Dorus’ got an intelligence quotient many Harvard-students would die for. Play a game of Trivial Pursuit with the guy and you’ll find yourself in awe of the small amount of knowledge your brains carry. By living in different big cities in the world (currently Madrid), he gets in touch with a lot of different cultures, which provides him with new insights for the brand constantly. His helicopter view over Laauw’s developments and the ease with which he attains new information is invaluable to Laauw.

Joep is the one also known as the Correspondent. He translates the story of Laauw into readable content for everyone. Writing, and creating stuff in general, are two of his passions which make him an asset to the brand. He travelled to Asia and Australia for nine months, which secured the broadminded view on life he has ever since he was able to think. Through conversations with Rob and Dorus, but also friends, partners and customers of the brand, he tends to make sure the story of Laauw is being told.