At a time when more people are buying products than ever before, it’s important to ask how design can change our industries for the better. But what constitutes ‘better’ design today? Is it a matter of balancing form and function with sustainability? What does this process really look like in practice — and what do we prioritise when the going gets tough? For many creative entrepreneurs, these questions can be tricky to navigate, especially when developing a new product or business.
We spoke with three leading strategists at Secrid — one of the most innovative pocketwear brands in the world — to learn more about their holistic approach to product design and how they deal with the most common sustainability dilemmas in the industry. Bregtje van den Berg, Thomas Boogert and Robin Foolen represent a wide range of creative and business interests, coming from product design and development, commerce and sustainability. Together, they offer unique insights on the challenges that come with making quality products that are inspiring and ethical.
During our conversation, we talked about a few important principles that guide everything they do at Secrid, from the design of their iconic cardprotectors and wallets, to their commitment to producing as locally as possible. We also touched on the trio’s participation in the Redesign Everything Challenge, which included a special mentoring session at WDCD Live Amsterdam 2024, and their best advice for our winning creatives.
Thomas, Robin and Bregtje at the Secrid ‘heartquarters’ in The Hague. Photo: Anouk Moerman.
On producing better vs producing more
Let’s start with Secrid’s purpose, which is to drive the ‘Industrial Evolution’. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN to you?
Thomas: For us, this means that everything we make needs to be better than what’s already in the market. We believe in better, better, better over more, more, more. So it’s about looking at the solution as a whole and seeing if it’s actually a step forward for the world. There are seven holistic principles for good design that we try to follow — and we are very critical about them, because a change in one influences all others, and they all need to be balanced. It can take a long time to find that balance, and the process filters out a lot of projects. But we think it pays to take this time. Only in a holistic way can we keep designing better products.
Bregtje: Yes, it’s not enough to come up with a nice gadget. Often, it’s about finding a balance between the functionality of the design, the materials we choose, local sourcing and production options, durability, and the way people like to interact with our products. It has to fulfill a valuable function in someone’s life, while reflecting our core values like sustainability, authenticity and social connections. With every new concept that we develop, we’re always learning and improving.
“We believe in better, better, better over more, more, more.”
This approach makes a lot of sense. But in practice, the industry is slow to change. Why do you think that is?
Robin: I think there are a mix of reasons. First, the Industrial Revolution that started in the 18th century made it easier to produce goods in larger volumes. To increase sales, companies started focusing more on reducing costs than on improving quality. The value of craftsmanship diminished, and as consumers got used to lower prices, it became more appealing to replace products rather than repair them. This means there is no incentive for brands to create products with a long lifespan, because that would entail selling less products and making less money.
Today, most businesses also have a linear focus. They pay for materials, energy and labour, then they sell the product and what remains is the profit. It’s only in the last 25 years that people have started to realise how these processes negatively impact the earth, and the social implications that come with cheap labour. Taking these negative effects into account is called ‘true pricing’, but brands are often reluctant to investigate and integrate these costs. A better product, which is made in a more sustainable way, is often more expensive and thus harder to sell. These mindsets are not easy to change, but we do our best by creating products that people really love and want to care for.
For a long time, Secrid focused on developing just one product. What was the idea behind that decision?
Bregtje: At the beginning the focus was really on doing one product and doing that very well. So that’s what the first ten, twelve years was about: scaling up, staying ahead and keeping the growth healthy. And we still aim to stay the king of the category in the card wallet market; we don’t want to lose that. But we’re now trying to broaden our pocketwear portfolio — daily essentials — and slowly build it out.
The challenge is that when we do something new right now, then we have to send it to something like 8,000 retailers (potentially). So whatever it is has to be really good, because when you have a problem, then the problem is very big. So my advice for creative entrepreneurs who are starting out is to just focus on getting your best idea done very well. Get a good network to support all different aspects of the business, from all different levels. Once you have that, you can continue.
Bregtje and Robin are seen here during a mentoring session with our Redesign Everything Challenge winners, alongside a snapshot of the Secrid wallet mechanism. Photo: Anouk Moerman.
On local vs global supply chains
Secrid is ALSO known for making its products as locally as possible. This cuts down on things like emissions and costs, but also has an impact on other parts of the business. Can you tell us more about that?
Bregtje: Yes, we really focus on local production. If it can be done within the Netherlands, and the quality is good, then we do it here. Sometimes we have to go to Belgium or Italy, for example because they have a history of craftsmanship in leather that we don’t. But we’re always trying to source the highest quality materials from as close by as possible.
Robin: Local production became very important to our co-founders René and Marianne after seeing the negative impact of ‘low-cost’ production locations around the world. By producing locally, they wanted to be able to keep this impact to a minimum and make any adjustments relatively quickly. Now, we have short production lines and a warm personal connection with our partners who we visit regularly. Our products are assembled at sheltered workshops in the Netherlands, where we currently employ 150 people who have a work disability or experience other barriers to employment. Their pride in working for an internationally known and successful brand, combined with their accuracy in assembling work, results in a very high product quality.
Thomas: Local production also plays a large role in the design of our products. So first of all, if you take it as a principle that you want to produce as close to home as possible, and you happen to be in the Netherlands, you have to take into account that we have quite high labour costs. So the product needs to be low in labour intensity and really easy to put together. That is why we’ve designed our entire assembly process around the needs of our employees at the sheltered workshops. This way, our wallets end up being very fairly priced compared to our competition that produce in China.
“We’ve designed our entire assembly process around the needs of our employees.”
What other advantages are there to producing locally?
Bregtje: There are a lot of advantages. First, you speak the same language, and don’t have any miscommunications in culture. Our designers can go to the factory to stand next to the machine that’s making our products, and talk to the person who operates it. I think this is so important. It’s inspiring as a product designer to be able to look at the production process and to see what’s possible.
Thomas: Quality is really important to us, and it’s definitely easier to manage if your production is really close by. If we have some type of issue with our product, our nearest workshop is literally 15 minutes away.
Another thing that’s really interesting from a startup perspective is that it is a lot easier to scale a business if you do local production — because the money flows so much faster. And if you can avoid cash flow issues, it’s much easier to refinance your own growth. So producing locally also makes business sense — that’s what I really like about it. And wherever you are in the world, the same economics apply.
Are there any disadvantages?
Thomas: Sometimes it can be really hard for us to find local suppliers that have the know-how to work with leather or aluminium. So we spend a lot of time and resources in finding the right suppliers, training them and finding redundancies. This is definitely a bit of work to manage, but you win it back in travel time and costs.
Bregtje: Yes, sometimes we need something that a factory has never done before. But then we show it to them and we ask: might this be possible? And what happens is that you actually inspire each other. That’s also the power of building relationships with your suppliers — you grow together.
In the lab with the Secrid team. Photo: Lizzy Zaanen.
On product lifespan vs material impact
How do you choose the kinds of materials that you use in your products? Do you prioritise durability, for example? OR IS IT MORE ABOUT WHERE THE MATERIALS COME FROM?
Thomas: I think in general, a product needs to last just as long as the user needs it. That would be the design challenge as a rule. And when it comes to our wallets, people use it for a very long time — longer than we’re able to test at the moment. So this is an everyday priority for us: to make sure that the lifespan of our products matches the lifespan that the consumer wants.
This becomes a dilemma for us when it comes to the use of animal leather, because there’s a growing demand for vegan alternatives. We absolutely support this shift, and are doing what we can to reduce the impact of the industry. But after all our testing, we’ve found leather is still by far the most durable material we can find outside of plastics. And as long as cattle farming exists, it’s a material that would otherwise be going to waste. So often, it’s a matter of replacing one dilemma with another. But we keep doing research into what’s being developed in the market.
“This is an everyday priority for us: to make sure that the lifespan of our products matches the lifespan that the consumer wants.”
Robin: In the end, only the strongest materials which stand our testing-programme are used in our collection. One example is Mirum: a plant-based rubber variant which is almost as strong as animal leather and has roughly the same look and feel. We’ve also done hundreds of tests with new, fruit-based leathers, as well as more unconventional materials like cork.
Right now, we’re even in talks with two different companies who are working on growing animal leather in a lab. These kinds of innovations are promising, but we also put a lot of emphasis on finding materials that are renewable. In the end, it’s about looking at the whole picture, and taking the process step-by-step. Because when it comes to sustainability, there is no silver bullet. There is no easy solution — and evolution takes time.
It sounds like you do a lot of research and development. Do you do this with both new and existing products?
Bregtje: Yes, we do. Our lab is really expanded to get the design and functionality of our wallets just right. In all circumstances: from drop tests to abrasion tests and the durability tests.
Thomas: We have two employees who are dedicated full time to testing new innovations. And we have all kinds of fun machines in the lab. For example, we built a machine to test the buttons on our card protectors. After 200,000 iterations, one of these machines actually broke down before the wallet did! But even with all this testing, there’s always something you miss. So when we see it in the market, we fix it afterwards.
Robin: We make sure to examine all our broken and returned products. All this to improve the quality of our wallets, and increase the longevity of our card protectors. The result is that our return rate is very low (less than 0.5%). So our approach is about improving new products and creating new solutions for those that already exist.
Thomas demonstrating the inner workings of a Secrid cardprotector, next to a visualisation of the kinds of materials that are currently in use by the brand. Photo: Anouk Moerman.
What role does repair play at Secrid?
Robin: Repair is important to us, because we believe that the most sustainable product is one that you can use for as long as possible. Over the past few years, we’ve opened more than 1300 Care & Repair points through our international network of retailers. Here, we can fix most issues with the mechanism of your cardholder in about two minutes. And if your wallet is still under guarantee, we do it for free.
In the beginning, some retailers were reluctant to help us offer this service. But they jumped on board when we showed them just how quick and easy the process can be. Now, they see that people actually visit their store to have their Secrid wallets repaired. Most customers today don’t expect to be able to repair products that cost under €100,-, so they are really amazed and appreciative of this service.
Bregtje: From our point of view, it’s better to extend the lifespan of the product somebody already has instead of selling them a new one. And hopefully, if they’re enthusiastic about the service, they’ll keep telling our story, or they’ll buy it for somebody else. So even from the concept phase we’re already thinking about how the product can be repaired, or which parts will be worn over time.
Thomas: Making your product in a way that can be easily repaired is something that doesn’t always align with sales. At Secrid, we want to change this way of thinking. Because even if it requires a little bit of extra work in the design process, it can end up saving you so much — in returns and resources.
On the Redesign Everything Challenge
Earlier this year, you helped us review the nominees of the Redesign Everything Challenge. What kind of things do you look for in a winning idea?
Robin: I try to keep an open mind for as long as possible, but I’m always excited to see designs that mimic or learn from nature. Because nature has been in evolution for so long, its solutions are usually more elegant than the things that people come up with. And in general, I like to see projects which combine two or more ideas, because it means there’s more than just one improvement at play.
Bregtje: What inspires me a lot is when I see projects that use an exciting material and apply it in a very good product design. So for example, combining a special fibre and applying it in a clothing design with a very smart folding technique. These are the kinds of solutions that make me very happy.
Thomas: I try to look at the projects from a scalability and feasibility perspective. So, I ask questions like: do I think this is actually a solution that can scale and that can sustain itself? That’s something our founder René has always been really clear on — sustainable business should be able to sustain itself financially.
Lastly, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE for creative entrepreneurs at the beginning of their journey?
Robin: Secrid wants to make products in a responsible way and products which will last a long time. This was part of the core when the brand was created. So, decide what is most relevant for your product or brand in the long term, and stick to your conviction.
Thomas: Design your business in a way that can survive hardship. Unfortunately, a lot of really great sustainability initiatives die — not because the idea is bad or because they don’t solve an actual problem — but because they didn’t design their business in a way that can handle adversity.
Bregtje: For me, it’s really about choosing the right people to work with. It’s so important that you really feel connected to the people who advise you or collaborate with you.This relates to one of our values at Secrid, which is being independent. Not in the sense of being isolated, but in being able to make our own choices. And when you work together with parties who are also independent, then you can go very fast and help each other to grow.
The Secrid team also hosted an open mentoring session during WDCD Live Amsterdam 2024 on 5 July. Photo: Tom Doms.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity