ABOUT US

The MANUAL Manufacturing Leather Company for making leather products by traditional methods was established in 1985. in Novi Sad, Serbia. The name Manual is describing this company as the place where old artisans crafted their skills and a place where young people learned how to defend the honor of old crafts, for over three decades. Currently the company has about 150 employees. Manually processed and cut leather according to old crafts techniques is one of the qualities of our brand. Old tools and artisan knowledge are creating our bags, wallets, belts and other leather goods.

TRADITION

Our past is our future.
At Manual, we continue to use the same old tools and delicate old-crafts techniques, elaborated in the late 19th century. Every single detail comes down to the deft gesture of our master artisans, and their skill has been handed down to next generations.

DESIGN

Passion and tradition guide us to create unique handcrafted products from creative design process to the final process of craftsmanship. The great attention to details, selection of materials, authenticity and innovation make design of each our product exclusive and absolutely capable of meeting the highest stylistic expectations.

QUALITY

Something to remember us by.
The longevity of each Manual product fully testifies to its timeless quality. Therefore we carefully choose and use entirely the finest leather selections from the world's best producers, that guarantee the top quality and longevity of all Manual products.

HISTORY

When the Manual Workshop for making leather goods by traditional methods and trade was founded in Novi Sad, back in 1985, no one could have imagined that 39 years later it would become a serious company that is a symbol of guardian of heritage, old crafts, youth energy, talented people, style and quality that lasts forever.

And yet, everything has begun with a great love for natural materials and enormous enthusiasm of the founder and owner Siniša Žarin, who at that time was engaged in handmade leather goods, exclusively as a hobby. Manual's first product was a leather belt, which is still a trademark of this large company. As a speechless witness to the good old days and how life used to be, it keeps the secret of love, perseverance and success imprinted in the finest, velvety top quality leather, which the Manual is generally recognized for. Belt after belt, product after product, year after year, success after success… Today, The Manual Co. is a successful company with hundreds of employees, associates, friends, artists, artisans, who all have the same vision - to create a modern future inspired by the spirit of the past and tradition passed down from generation to generation. Art and aesthetics as the starting point of each of Manual's creations and love for antiques and uniqueness gave birth to the founding of the Manual Forgotten Arts Museum in 2005, which today’s counting hundreds of thousands of artifacts carefully collected from different time periods. Although it finds inspiration in the past, old crafts, old tools and handmade, Manual Manufactory pays special attention to the modern approach, design and exchange of energy and opinions of future generations. The visions are complemented by the color of youth, packed with a flawless aesthetic experience and recognizable quality of each of Manual's products, all in the traditional way, made with diligent hands, slowly, precisely and with a lot of attention to details. Youthful energy was also the inspiration for Manual's sub-brand Coffee With Milk, which was created in 2015, and which design is dominated by bright colors, modern lines and shapes intended for young people.

Past, present and future write new pages of this beautiful, genuine story made of leather and thread… A story that happened once upon a time, at a time when even the rain smelled different, but which inevitably flowed, developed and progressed through new visions, youth, the art of handmade, with constant respect for tradition, heritage and everything that is true value - love for what you create.

1985

Establishment of the Manual Manufactory - specialised workshop for handmade leather goods, which was created out of love for one of the oldest natural materials, old crafts and tradition as an eternal guardian of the rich heritage.

1990

Manual first store opening in Novi Sad, Serbia.

1995

The Manual Workshop was awarded the Certificate for Old Crafts. This certificate was an initiative of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia for the protection and practice of old crafts from 1995.

1998

The founder and owner of the Manual Workshop, Siniša Žarin, was presented with the "Good Design Award", which was awarded by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina. In the same year, the "Great Golden Form" award was given by Association of Artists of Applied Arts and Designers of Vojvodina.

2005

The Manual Co. celebrates its first 20 years of existence, through the first major event with rich cultural and artistic content, in the form of concerts of famous local and regional bands, the exhibition called “The Aspects of Contemporary Sculpture in Vojvodina” by Mr. Sava Stepanov and the founding of M.F.A.M. – Manual Forgotten Arts Museum.

2012

The Manual workshop (No. Ser. 300-313-01-00045 / 2012-09) received a Certificate on handmade leather items crafted in the traditional way and with the protection and care of old and artistic crafts. The Ministry of Economy and Regional Development awarded The Manual company this prestigious international certificate.

2014

Siniša Žarin, the founder and owner of The Manual Co. was awarded the Blic award for “The Best Entrepreneur of the Year”, organized by daily newspaper Blic and Societe Generale Bank.

2015

Establishment of the Coffee With Milk sub-brand, inspired by youth energy, bright and subtle colours of sweets and flowers.

STORES

Inspired by old trade and craft shops from the period between the two great world wars, the interiors and shopwindows of the Manual stores exude authenticity and the spirit of old times. The aesthetics of the interior and shopwindow are dominated by massive, natural materials as they used to be: solid wood, wrought iron, glass, stone and interesting old objects from certain eras - artifacts that are also part of the rich permanent exhibition of the Manual Forgotten Arts Museum.

Made of solid wood in warm shades of walnut and mahogany, Manual shelves are hand-carved in retro details along almost all edges of the moldings, from floor to ceiling. Moldings in woodcarving have been used for centuries in carpentry, and they especially decorate the shelves and the windows of Manual stores, giving them a rustic and at the same time luxurious touch.

The combination of filigree details made of wrought iron and xylograph in solid wood establishes the right balance of materials and warmth of the interior atmosphere, which takes you back to the past.

A large number of artifacts from different time periods were the idea to decorate shop windows and the interior of Manual's stores, giving them a unique stamp and something you haven't seen often. Each of our stores is also a gallery of our museum and has a part of the collection of the M.F.A.M, which is also the great inspiration for our products.

ZMAJ JOVINA 18

The present inspired by the past.

Made after the example of old pharmacies from the beginning of the 20th century, our store in Zmaj Jovina street no. 18, in the center of Novi Sad is one of the first and oldest Manual stores, whose ambience continues to inspire us. What is especially interesting is that in this building, in addition to the standard Manual collection of leather accessories, you can also see a small part of the permanent exhibition of glass objects and other artifacts from the collection of the M.F.A.M.

TOP QUALITY LEATHER

From ancient times, man has used real natural leather, first for coverings and protection against cold, and then through centuries for different purposes, as well as a form of elegance in fashion industry. In Manual atelier we preserve tradition and history, processing the leather for our products according to the recipe of the old crafts. Ecological awareness, care for nature and our customers is present in every segment of our business. For making our premium products we use natural tanned cowhide, known as “vegetal” or “vegetable”. It is called “vegetal” because of natural tannins used in tanning process, like tree bark. It is one of the oldest methods of tanning known to man.

PREMIUM PACKAGING

Manual employees believe that caring for the people who have contributed to our success is essential. Especially for the customers of Manual products, we have created ecologically unique, but also luxurious packaging, where you can store your products and also to ease the act of giving away. Packaging is the first impression of the product, so we take great care of the type of packaging in which we pack our product, that are made of solid cardboard, with the sense for environmental care. Environmental awareness is present in all segments of our business.