Hi, I am the brain behind 10TIEN. My name is Martina Braas, also known as Tien. Now you know where the name ’10TIEN’ is coming from. I have followed a creative study at the Nimeto in Utrecht and decided to do my internship at a couturier. The couturier gave me so much responsibility that I had the courage to start my own company. I quickly left the shoes for what they were and decided to focus on bags instead. The clothing industry is already quite saturated and a specific education is required if you want to undertake something with shoes. I didn’t want to go another 4 years to school, I want to conduct a business!
I rarely like bags, so what is then better to make the perfect bag yourself? And that’s how the plan was born. After my graduation, I followed courses about leather items. I was already able to work with a sewing machine, but leather is a very different material than fabrics. Experience is the best teacher and I decided to continue in the leather industry. I founded Pigskin when I was 21 years old; I made leather bags tailored for consumers. Eighteen months later, I decided to move my production abroad in order to compete with other bag labels. In 2015 I flew with my father to Ethiopia and now 10TIEN has officially landed.