There will be those who remember the leather jacket they bought many years ago from Torras. The brand defined the style of many since the 1950s, founded in the midst of the post-war period by Josefa Torras and her son, Joan Serra, in Caldes de Montbui. First came knitwear and then leather; first orders were prepared in the kitchen and delivered by bicycle, and then they reached the whole world, with a presence in the United States, Japan, China, and Russia. But the textile sector has not remained oblivious to crises, accompanied by new trends that have accelerated, a context that led the Catalan company to file for bankruptcy in 2020.
Sonia Caballero knew well the problems Torras was facing. She worked for a brand she had first encountered 20 years ago, when she was asked to design one of the many showrooms they had around the world to show their products to manufacturers. Specialized in industrial design, she had never done anything in fashion, but she had to make her debut with the Catalan company in Shanghai. She was young and still couldn't afford their leather jackets, but when she could, she incorporated them into her wardrobe. Later, that first collaboration in the Chinese city was accompanied by business consulting for Torras, seeing what their business model was and how they operated, as well as being very aware of their pros and cons.
The final blow to Torras was dealt by the pandemic, which led the company to insolvency. "I decided to buy the brand, but I wanted to change the model," explains Sonia Caballero, its new CEO. The executive wanted to continue being in charge of product design, but decided to subcontract production and grant licenses for commercialization in other countries. The company's headquarters are in Terrassa and they have a warehouse in their native Caldes de Montbui. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Banyoles, and Zaragoza are some of the towns where they have contracted workshops, but they also have suppliers in Portugal, Italy, Romania, Turkey, and India. Since last year, the founder's grandson, Josep Maria Serra, has accompanied her as a partner, focusing on the production and internationalization of the brand.
Torras leather jackets and coats can now be found in multi-brand stores such as Felgar and Llenas, on Paseo de Gràcia, and Mar Fran, in Platja d'Aro, as well as in its own online store. They are also available in other establishments in provincial capitals. The company rules out having its own stores again. It had them spread throughout Spain and in Milan. The main short-term objective is to return to El Corte Inglés.
In this new stage, the brand's turnover stood at 3.2 million euros in 2023. With a staff of six employees, the forecast is to reach four million euros this 2024. Sales in Spain and the online channel represent 25% and 10% of revenues, respectively. Exports account for 65%, carried out through a licensee in Mexico and another in Italy. For now, they have frozen other markets where they were present, such as the United States, the Middle East, Africa, and Russia.
In search of leather made from agricultural waste
With two seasons, winter and spring, Torras has focused in recent years on leather garments, as well as those that mix leather and knitwear, one of its hallmarks, leaving behind the total look it once offered. With more offerings for men than for women, jackets abound, but there are also coats and pants, with prices ranging from 350 euros to 1,200 euros. Knowing that one of its classics was the typical black biker, they wanted to open up to new audiences by making it in more colors ---12---, first for women, with sizes ranging from 34 to 54, and with the forecast of also launching it for men.
One of Caballero's concerns for the new stage has been to defend leather against the criticism it receives. First, because the leather they use is of animal origin, but comes from waste from the food chain. Then, because he defends that theirs lasts a lifetime and that is when he points to synthetic leather, made with petroleum, more polluting, and which, furthermore, "lasts two news reports." In the case of Torras, the leather is treated with a vegetable tanning process, based on tree bark, rejecting doing it with chrome, the traditional method and worse for the environment.
The board does not forget to add that the accessories of their garments, whether zippers, linings or labels, are also recycled. "They are 100% biodegradable jackets," she emphasizes. For years, Torras has been working with technology centers and universities to develop leather from agricultural waste, not only to make jackets, but also to upholster sofas or use it in the automotive sector.
Looking ahead to next year, the company plans to recover knitwear, the origin of the brand. Always with some leather detail, it plans to design all kinds of garments, both for men and women. Until now they had only made small productions of basic knit sweaters for men.