An interview with HARPER Collective founder Sebastian Manes
Esteban: Hello Sebastian, give us a brief introduction. I know who you are and what you do, but for people who don’t know, share a little bit about how you got started and what you're working on now.
Sebastian: Sure. I started on the shop floor. My first job was at Gucci in Cannes, South of France. I was working as what they call a Garçon magasin, which basically means someone who helps with many different tasks. This was in 1996, just after Tom Ford was named Creative Director. Business was doing very well. I saw an opportunity, worked really hard, and my initial two-month contract ended up lasting four years. My boss at the time came from Hermès, and he taught me a lot about product and respect for craftsmanship. That was my introduction to the industry.
Sebastian: After that, I opened my own store in 2001. It was a house with a garden in the South of France—a small concept store where everything was for sale: the table, the spoon, fashion, art, wine, everything. It was primarily an art gallery, so we also scouted new artists. That was my first entrepreneurial experience. But after 9/11, things changed dramatically. By October, the business was finished. It was a tough ending, but it actually gave me a lot of confidence. Even though I lost everything, the fact that I did it at all was a huge step. It helped drive my career later.
Sebastian: After that, since it was self-funded, I became a consultant. I worked in Paris for a luxury agency in Russia, selling collections in showrooms for about two years. The money was fantastic, but the human relationships were tough. Money alone isn't what drives me. I eventually decided to move to London. I couldn’t find a job, so I told my partners in Paris that I was leaving. I handed back my shares and started working for Selfridges.
Sebastian: I joined Selfridges in December 2003 and stayed for 19 years. It was an incredible experience because the Weston family, who owned the company, had a very forward-thinking vision. They cared about making money but also about creating a legacy and doing things differently. That matched my background and entrepreneurial experience, so I got very involved, particularly in projects related to sustainability. One of the most significant was Project Ocean in 2011. We spent two years studying ocean issues like overfishing and plastic pollution. It was eye-opening and became very personal for me.
Esteban: Selfridges is one of my favorite stores in the world. For people who don’t know, it’s one of the biggest retail stores in the UK, but it doesn’t feel like a typical large department store. It feels more like a boutique—always introducing new brands, creative projects, and collaborations. It's still very much fueled by creativity. So I understand why you stayed for 19 years—it must have been fulfilling.
Sebastian: It was. During my time at Selfridges, I started working on what would become HARPER. That’s also why our production is based in the UK—convenience. We officially launched in August 2023, but the development started years before. HARPER is very personal to me because I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean. Project Ocean triggered a lot for me. The name HARPER actually comes from my son.
Esteban: When you started ideating HARPER, which is essentially elevated luggage made out of recycled materials, was the motivation primarily emotional? Was it about your personal interests and the kind of impact you wanted to have? Or was it a combination of your experience as a buyer, your entrepreneurial background, and a desire to build a sustainable business that could actually work financially?
Sebastian: It started emotionally. After Project Ocean, I kept asking major travel brands to collaborate on something around ocean waste. Everyone said no—it was too complicated. I thought: how hard could it be to make a box with four wheels out of trash? That was naive. Luggage is extremely difficult to manufacture. When you add recycled material into the mix, you’re doubling the complexity. I cried many times during development. It took four and a half years, not because of the pandemic or laziness, but because it was so technically challenging. Recycling plastic is still a niche industry. No one wanted to contaminate their virgin plastic production lines with recycled material for a tiny niche project. It was hard to find partners willing to take that risk.
Esteban: So most of your challenges came from manufacturing and production rather than sales or marketing?
Sebastian: Exactly. Every batch of recycled plastic is different. You get inconsistencies in color, strength, and behavior during manufacturing. We use vacuum forming, which is like baking a soufflé—if the temperature isn’t perfect, it collapses. We’ve had entire sheets crinkle and become unusable. We work with only two factories—one in Germany for the sheets, and one in the UK for molding. It’s risky, but no one else was willing to take it on.
Sebastian: Beyond that, we manufacture every single component ourselves, down to the pull zippers. We started with some components in the UK, like the telescopic handle, but eventually had to move certain parts to China because they were simply better made. The wheels, for example, are injection molded in China now and reinforced with fiber. We’ve never had a wheel break. These are expensive lessons, but we’ve learned. The goal is always to make the best product possible and keep improving. We’re now on version 2.0, and I already have ideas for future improvements.
Esteban: That also shows how difficult it is to build something that’s truly innovative. You don’t just have to innovate on product—you have to innovate on supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution as well.
Sebastian: Exactly. Local manufacturing sounds appealing, but it’s extremely complicated. Certain technologies are very specialized. You can’t just switch countries easily—it’s not about cost, it’s about expertise.
Sebastian: Last year, we expanded our partnership with the UK factory to include assembly as well. Even though they were experienced and already working with us, it still took a full year to get the assembly line operational. If you’re starting from scratch, it’s even harder.
Sebastian: But I’m proud that we now have a product made in Europe with great quality. The production is as established as it can be for a recycled product. If demand grows, we’re positioned to scale.
Esteban: So now you're finally transitioning from production being the bottleneck to focusing on sales and marketing?
Sebastian: Yes. Until now, we’ve spent zero on marketing. No paid ads, no content creators—just organic growth. We’ve focused entirely on getting the product right. The next phase is building awareness, telling our story, and establishing the brand. We sell mostly in the UK, Europe, and the US, but still very niche. We're expanding into more markets this year.
Sebastian: It’s actually about working with people and industries who are like minded and want to move the needle in sustainability - in that case, we have secured a long term collaboration with innovative Spanish Car manufacture CUPRA part of the Volkswagen group, which is a great validation for us, but also gives confidence to our factory partners that we are capable to work with one of the largest global car maker. From now on - my focus has shifted from full time production to building brand recognition and finding strategic investors to help us to go to stage 3 of our development which is scaling the business.
Esteban: And how did the partnership with Jaden Smith come about?
Sebastian: I met Jaden at a Louis Vuitton show years ago. We were both early, started chatting, and later worked together at Selfridges on various projects, including launching his line. In 2019, I told him about HARPER. He was interested because of the vision—not because of bags themselves. He stuck with me through four and a half years of product development, which is rare. Most people would have lost interest long before.
Sebastian: From the beginning, it was clear that HARPER wouldn’t be a celebrity brand. Jaden’s involvement is real, but not front-facing for the sake of marketing. It’s about the product, the mission, and building something meaningful.
Sebastian: At first, we led with design and cool factor. But over time, I’ve shifted to put sustainability at the core. The collaborations we’re doing now are with what I call “modern heroes”—people making a difference for the planet and oceans. Not celebrities for the sake of attention, but people aligned with our mission.
Esteban: That focus on mission is what becomes an attraction mechanism for everything else—customers, partners, investors, collaborators. If you build something meaningful, you naturally attract the right people.
Sebastian: Exactly. And when you meet people aligned with your mission, like this Japanese artist I recently met who performs dance routines inspired by ocean trash, it becomes deeply fulfilling. That’s the kind of ecosystem I want to build—where it’s not about shortcuts but about doing something real and sustainable long-term.
Sebastian: Even now, despite everything looking polished on the outside, we’re still paddling hard beneath the surface. Every entrepreneur knows that feeling.
Esteban: Social media exaggerates this illusion of overnight success. But behind every viral moment are years of invisible work—phone calls, failures, setbacks.
Sebastian: Absolutely. Just last week, I spent an hour on the phone selling two trunks to one customer. My son asked why I bother doing that myself. But it matters. Every customer matters. Every suitcase that gets into someone’s hands becomes another conversation, another recommendation. That’s how you build something brick by brick.
Sebastian: People often tell me, “You just need one viral moment.” But it doesn’t work like that. AI, shortcuts—none of that replaces doing the actual work. Entrepreneurship is a privilege, but it’s incredibly difficult. There are no shortcuts. You still have to write every email, make every call, and solve every problem.
Esteban: The only real formula is unwavering belief in your vision—and the willingness to build the machine that can make that vision real.
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