A Curtin University alumnus and international entrepreneur has been named on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list, which recognises young disrupters, visionaries and rising stars from across the region.
German social entrepreneur Marco Feelisch, who graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2015, and his business partner Georg Wolff were named on the influential list for their company Buckle & Seam, a direct-to-consumer brand creating consciously crafted high-quality leather bags for men.
Curtin University Faculty of Business and Law Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel de Bussy congratulated Mr Feelisch on his significant contributions to the international fashion industry.
“Buckle & Seam was a vision that came to life when Marco and Georg lived and worked in Pakistan together and went on to become an innovative luxury brand that offers premium quality leather goods across Europe and the rest of the world,” Professor de Bussy said.
“I would like to congratulate Mr Feelisch and Mr Wolff for being recognised by Forbes as future-focused, bright business leaders, who turned their innovative ideas into a high-performing business.”
Co-founder Marco Feelisch said he was honoured to be recognised by Forbes among other influential visionaries from across Europe.
“Having the opportunity to live and work in Pakistan opened our eyes to the fashion industry and allowed us to develop a passion to disrupt the bag industry. By opening up our own factory in Pakistan, it gave us the opportunity to introduce ethical work standards, train our workforce and develop high quality leather products for a lower price,” Mr Feelisch said.
“The savings we make by cutting out the middle man are directly transferred to our customers, as well as our workforce who we pay up to three times the local average. Three per cent of our revenues are donated through our ‘One Bag-One Child’ project, which covers 100 per cent of cost of schooling, from teachers’ salaries to students’ tuition, in a school in Karachi, Pakistan.
“Our company is based on principles and values, which were shaped during my time at Curtin. We would like to act as a role model for young entrepreneurs as we aim to have an impact wherever we go.”
Further information on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list can be found online here.
