Bonia was never deemed as an Instagram-worthy brand or one that was proudly flaunted until Pepe Torres took over as creative director—the Spaniard who has over two decades of experience in designing for high-end luxury brands such as Loewe, Burberry and Carolina Herrera.

His task is to refresh Bonia’s image and revamp the brand into a cool and fashion-forward entity. Thus far, he has certainly done a great job and kept to his word.

It was on a trip to Singapore that Torres first encountered Bonia. Prior to that, he only heard about the brand through advertisements in magazines, but never saw the products himself.

What struck him the most was the superb quality of the goods. “Back then I was working with Loewe which has high standards of quality; Bonia’s level of craftsmanship can be compared to Loewe. They sure know how to make their bags,” he said.

As fate would have it, Torres was introduced to Bonia’s executive director Dato’ Sri Daniel Chiang a few months later in Paris. “We had an instant connection. We kept in touch and a year later, he offered me the position.”

Revitalising the entire image of a brand, which previously had a reputation for looking dull and lacking in appeal, is no easy feat. “We wanted to refresh the image while still retaining the brand’s DNA, which is quality and heritage. This is crucial because if you lose the brand’s identity, you are nobody,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“It all starts with an idea which goes to the manufacturer then to the pattern maker and so on. There are a lot of people involved in the creation of a single piece and I want people to be proud when they carry a Bonia.”

Torres is someone who is familiar with luxury standards from his time at top fashion houses. His hunger to learn and his sharp eye for detail make him the perfect person for this role.

“I learned so much about leather from Loewe, like how to feel and pick the best leather for a specific item. At Mango— a fast fashion brand— I learned how to be quick and catch on to trends fast. At Burberry it had a lot of different rules and philosophies. There I understood more about branding,” he said.

Described as curious and adventurous, Torres often draws inspiration from his travels and meeting new people. For Bonia’s spring/summer 2017 collection, he was inspired by his recent vacation to South America. He visited Peru and was fascinated by the ancient Lost Empires that were virtually forgotten until the 20th century.

“It's a rich, exotic, sophisticated and modern collection!” exclaimed Torres with excitement. Bonia has certainly come a long way since Torres set his European eyes on the brand.

“I want to create high quality, functional and stylish goods that are contemporary at the same time. These are all the ingredients. We don’t want to be another brand, we want to be Bonia.”

Another homegrown brand is making waves Down Under, as Royal Selangor opens its new store in Sydney.