✅ Behind the trendy masks that, we can see on TV news anchors, sportsmen, celebrities, and of course, a large part of the Mallorcan public, we found the owners of the Abbacino brand, Sebastià and Toni Vadell.
▷ Abbacino. Why Hidden Icon?
This Mallorcan company was founded a little more than 20 years ago. When the generational change came, the Vadell brothers took over the family business. They decided to use what they had learned as a family and at the same time, they decided to redesign the approach and create their own brand. They chose to address a modern audience that follows fashion and consumes quality products at affordable prices. Abbacino has become a renowned accessories company. They have arrived in the world of fashion, and as far as we can see, they are here to stay.
# Talking: Abbacino
Between trips, attending conventions, and a lot of work, we managed to be attended by Sebastià Vadell, current CEO and co-owner of the company Abbacino and as a Hidden Icon, he answers our questions.
Keep reading and get to know the history behind every bag, wallet, and mask of today’s best-known company in the village of Petra, Abbacino.
Hidden Icon Interview
1.- ABBACINO.Where does the name Abbacino come from and why the choice of a name that is a little difficult to pronounce with Italian inspiration?
The word Abbacino comes from the Italian verb “Abbacinare” which means “to dazzle”. It is a rare and somewhat old word that attracted our attention until it became the name of our company.
Sebastià Vadell, CEO y co-propietario de Abbacino
2.- DNA. ABBACINO is the generational change in your family’s company. From 1997 when you took over, to the present day. How do you see the company and the market changing? Did you dream of managing the family business, did you like fashion?
The company has changed a lot both at the product level and at the design and collection level. Obviously, the market has also evolved and we have gone from boutiques and “neighborhood” clothing shops to collaborating with large multi-brand shopping centers.
The arrival of digital and online has represented another important change in our communication, promotion, and sales channels. In fact, in recent years, our website has become very important and during the confinement, together with the digital channels of some of our main partners, it has allowed us to remain in the market.
We grew up watching my father cutting the leather, always surrounded by design and fashion. My brother Toni and I watched our parents work and began to collaborate with them in the family business with the desire to one day be able to leave our mark on a project with identity and style of its own.
3.- INSPIRATION. The family business designed and manufactured leather bags. However, you also started to open up to the world of accessories. How did the idea of diversifying come about? Which was your first design?
Toni and I understood that we had to translate everything we had learned in the family business into a new brand that would bring its own vision to the world of fashion.
With this objective in mind, Abbacino was born: at first, it was bags, but then we started to make matching and very simple wallets, then we added all the other accessories: gloves, scarves, belts, hats, etc..
We wanted to create very personal collections based on a thoughtful concept and with a vocation of permanence, making designs that surprised without falling into artifices or merely aesthetic solutions.
4.- AWARENESS: You have countless points of sale, you are present in many countries, you have a showroom in the big European cities and not only that but you also have a corner in centers such as El Corte Inglés or COIN in Italy. At what point were you aware of the success of your business and saw that you had come to the world of fashion to stay?
The task of presenting our products and finding credible, diversified, and reliable distribution channels has not been easy, especially in the early days when the Abbacino brand was not as well known as it is today.
But the trust that local shops and some boutiques have placed in us has made it possible to take the leap and start important collaborations such as with El Corte Inglés and COIN. This was a major challenge because it involved an evolution in logistics and production as well. And when we saw that our accessories were not indifferent to customers in these large centers, we understood that the path we had been following was the right one, and it gave us a boost to continue.
5.- DESIGN. Who is in charge of the designs and what are your inspirations?
We have a team of local and international designers who create all our collections. We work in a great synergy of tastes and personal criteria, together with the main trends of the season, both in terms of prints and colors, designs, and details (tassels, stitching, fittings, etc.).
We understand design as a way of capturing trends and giving them a personal touch. We also like to make small collaborations with island designers to give visibility to small, little-known brands and add value to our creations.
6.- STORYTELLING. What do your products say? Who are they for?
Our accessories are mainly aimed at women of any age, as there are very different styles in the same collection. We want to satisfy the needs of today’s woman, in all her dimensions (businesswoman, more urban or classic woman, young woman, etc.), with collections designed with the heart, offering an honest product that pampers detail, without forgetting such important aspects as multifunctionality or lightness and with an excellent “quality-price” ratio.
Each collection, depending on the season, presents bags in different formats and materials, wallets, key rings, hats and caps, scarves, gloves, and belts.
And now also unisex hygienic masks, certified and washable, for both adults and children. Soon we will start to address more forcefully the male audience, who already know us, so far through our men’s wallets, purses, and cards.
7.- ROOTS. Origins, your village Petra, the taste for the Mediterranean, and the touch of Mallorca are in each of your designs. Where is your main office? Where do you manufacture your products?
The company’s headquarters are in Petra, a small town in the center of the island of Mallorca. This is where the Abbacino management, the creative team, the marketing and product team, as well as administration, accounting, and logistics are based.
We manufacture in different countries, such as Spain, Italy, Morocco, China, and India, among others, and depending on the material. For example, all hats and caps are made in northern Italy and all masks in Spain.
8.- DREAM TEAM. A family business located in Petra, what we would think a priori is a small company, the reality is that you have more than 2,000 points of sale, which makes us think into a big company. How many people are part of the Abbacino team?
We are about 100 in total. We have a very wide network of Spanish and international representatives who make our creations reach far away, to the five continents.
The youth and drive of the team have been two key factors in the history of the company. We project an image of a great company, but at heart, we are a family business where nothing would be possible without the effort and initiative of each team member, without their ability to adapt to change.
9.- PROJECTS: What are your most immediate projects? E.g. Collections, new points of sale, new frontiers to cross…
We are very focused on optimizing the user experience on our direct online channel, i.e. our website and we will soon be launching our new online shop.
We are also finalizing the next collections of masks, specially designed for the Christmas season.
And, last but not least, we are about to launch Abbacino Man: the AW20 season collection introduces for the first time unisex formats that will also conquer the male sensibility with versatile and spacious backpacks, shoulder bags and small packs. Until now we have only made men’s bags in each collection.
10- DESIGN. How do your design ideas come about? Where do you find the inspiration for your accessories? How do you choose the materials?
We are inspired by the landscapes and colors of our land, Mallorca. We are committed to creativity, quality, attention to detail, and fidelity to a strong DNA: 100% trendy style with a Mediterranean flavor, without losing sight of new trends.
We have developed a sixth sense to anticipate the desires and needs of the public and at the same time make their looks comfortable, fashionable, and always have a personal touch.
11.- LOCKDOWN. During the confinement, it seems that Abbacino did not stop working, and saw a new business opportunity in your already famous washable masks. When was the idea born? Were you expecting this reception from the public?
We have been very surprised by the welcome from our customers to the new product we launched at the end of May.
We had never designed and produced masks before and it has been very intense learning and research process that we carried out during the confinement and continue with today.
We have been moved by the desire to contribute at this difficult time and we accepted the challenge. And we have achieved this thanks to our knowledge of the world of fashion, design, and distribution. It is true that all our B2B customers around the world (the shops, the shopping centers like El Corte Inglés in Spain and COIN in Italy, for example) were closed and the sale of our products online was rather slow. Masks have become a way out in the crisis caused by the pandemic.
12. COVID. How are you currently experiencing the situation of COVID-19 in Abbacino?
At the company level, we have adopted the measures recommended by the authorities and we follow the official protocols.
There is a lot of uncertainty in general, but we are compulsive optimists and believe very much in the collections of the masks that, to this day, have turned out to be the driving force behind the company and the star product, which are succeeding throughout the country and beyond. Abbacino is already present in 12 countries.
13.- DREAM. You have achieved the success of your company, consolidating it in the difficult market of fashion. Congratulations. What is your next dream for Abbacino?
We have established ourselves as Majorcan fashion designers focused on women’s accessories. But another very motivating challenge is, to conquer the masculine sensitivity with the new line Abbacino Man that we will launch in the next months.
14.- PROUD. When your family sees the success of the company and how you have managed to reinvent the family business, what do they tell you?
They are all very happy. For our parents, who were the founders of this project, it is a source of pride to see how Abbacino has grown and also how much and how far it has evolved, taking over markets that were unthinkable in the beginning. Together with my brother Toni, we have been able to turn a local firm into an international brand.
Sebastià Vadell, CEO y co-propietario de Abbacino.
15.- ABBACINO TOP. From all your products, what do you recommend as a basic that cannot be missed and that you know you always like?
Hobos are a timeless model that reassert themselves every season. They tend to be spacious and versatile, and also reach a rather heterogeneous audience. And the bags are a classic in our collections: we always propose new formats and different materials because they are a very personal accessory.
In today’s market our leather wallets have the best “quality-price” ratio.
We cannot forget the accessory that has become indispensable nowadays: the mask. We have more than 50 prints and colours that can be easily combined with the rest of the accessories and with all kinds of looks.
Hidden Recommends
HIDDEN TIPS. Please share with us, your most authentic “hidden places” and “hidden gems” of the island of Mallorca to live a unique experience.
Due to the proximity to Petra, where we are based, the Costa del Llevant keeps us in love: long beaches of thin sand, such as Son Serra de Marina, or small coves with crystalline waters, such as Na Clara and Ca Los Camps. Among our favorites are also the rural areas around Santany and obviously the mountainous landscapes of the Serra de Tramuntana.
