THE ITAPAGIPE COURO COLLECTION

From Left to Right: the Paripe Backpack, the Kirimurê Handbag & the Pirajá Dopp Kit. Available now.

A Story from Salvador, Bahia

In 2020 I met someone in Toronto who changed how I see the world.

He's from Salvador, Bahia. And when he talks about his home, you hear it—the pride, the history, the connection. He doesn't just tell you facts about a place; he tells you why it matters. That's who he is. Someone who knows where he comes from and isn't afraid to say it.

When he took me to Salvador for the first time, I finally understood why.

The city moves differently than anywhere else I've been. There's music in the streets, real community in the markets, and this sense that everything means something. He showed me around like he was sharing part of himself—pointing out neighborhoods, telling me the stories behind the names, sharing what his mother used to tell him.

That's when he started mentioning the Tupi words. The original language of the land. How the place names—Kirimurê, Abaeté, Periperi, Itapuã—they all describe something real about the landscape and the people who understood it first. He'd say things like, "Did you know Itapagipe means 'flat stone in the river'?" with this genuine excitement. It wasn't academic to him. It was his heritage.

Sitting there listening to him, I realized something: I wanted to honor that. Not by pretending it's mine, but by keeping it alive. By using those names.

By making sure they stay in the world.

So I made these bags. Each one carries the name of a Salvador neighborhood or landmark, rooted in the Tupi language. When you carry an Abaeté or an Itapuã, you're carrying more than leather and craftsmanship. You're carrying history. You're speaking words that have echoed through centuries. In some small way, you're keeping that heritage alive too.

These are meant to last. They'll age, they'll change, they'll develop character. They'll become better with time and use—just like the stories they carry.

I made this for you. And in a way, I made it for him too.

Richardt