atch straps have been part of Yann Perrin’s life for as long as he can remember. His mother, Régine, was the niece of Camille Fournet, whose company began making watch straps in France in 1945. His father, Jean-Claude, a master saddler, was head of sales for the firm in the 1960s.

“We lived and breathed watch straps,” Perrin says. “Camille Fournet had no descendants so my father was like a son to him. He could have taken over the business but it was sold to the highest bidder.” No matter: in 1984 Jean-Claude Perrin set up his own company, Créations Perrin.

Despite initial success, the business struggled after the Gulf War. “My father decided to downsize and in 1997 launched Atelier du Bracelet Parisien (or ABP Concept) to supply custom-made and luxury watch straps to a clientele of connoisseurs in Paris.”

Grand designs

After training in leatherwork and spending five years at the workbench, Yann Perrin joined the family firm with grand designs to “extend the range, develop the website and innovate with eco-materials,” he says.

Triple-tour strap in shiny python

In 2000 the Atelier had seven or eight different leathers in its catalogue. It now offers more than 60 materials, from the traditional alligator and calfskin to the less conventional beaver tail, toad, sea snake, stingray, python, camel, lizard, Nile perch or ostrich leg.

A unique online customizer

It took three years to develop an online customizer that could factor in the vast selection of materials and the multitude of finishes, cuts, stitching, edges and linings available.

Matte alligator strap with inserts

“There’s almost too much to choose from. We’re in the middle of a rationalisation process which will also be adapted to smartphone shopping. Our objective for 2025 is to grow sales through social media, which is an underused channel for us right now.”

Already, half the company’s revenue comes from online sales and half is made outside France. The modest workshop catering to Parisians has come a long way!

A sustainable approach

Sustainability is a key component of Yann Perrin’s strategy. Demand for sustainable, plant-based, vegan leather is growing and the entrepreneur is constantly on the lookout for new eco-friendly materials to extend the current range, which includes pineapple, cactus, tropical leaves, cork, grape and mushroom.

Matte python strap

“All our exotic leathers comply with CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora] but it’s always worth checking out the possibilities these new materials offer. I’m especially taken with cork and fish leather, which have some really interesting properties.”

Yann Perrin has his own convictions, as he explains: “I come from a family that wastes as little as possible. We only buy what we need and we recycle or upcycle whenever we can. Six months ago we launched the Solo range, which recycles alligator left over from bespoke orders into unique, affordably priced, two-tone straps. We’re also partner to a French tannery which recycles, in a special collection, alligator skin that doesn’t meet luxury industry standards and would otherwise be discarded.”

Buddha Head made from upcycled alligator and crocodile leather. Personal creation by Yann Perrin.

Reduce, repurpose, recycle: three pillars of the circular economy. While Yann Perrin is first to admit that, compared with total production, the effect on environmental impact is small, “it at least encourages the end customer to think about what they are buying.”

Atelier du Bracelet Parisien stands out for the quality and diversity of its products but also for its practical approach. The last word goes to Yann Perrin: “We’re artisans, we build on our expertise and can turn our hand to just about anything, from a watch strap to a suitcase or a smartphone cover. Bring us your idea or a sketch and we’ll make it!”