About Us

Established in 2012 by Rute Vieira and José Lima, both fashion designers, the brand was inspired by Rute's grandfather, who founded a tannery in 1959. Ideal & Co seeks to reinterpret, preserve and share the beauty of what is genuine and Made in Portugal.

Our collection of bags and backpacks is handcrafted in Portugal using the best vegetable-tanned leather and cotton canvas, bringing tradition and contemporaneity together in the design, construction and finish of each piece.

Our Heritage

In 1935, at just 14 years old, António Vieira, Rute's grandfather, started buying and selling animal leather in the region where he was born.

Taking advantage of Alcanena's highest concentration of tanneries in the country, António travelled through the villages and towns of Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park by bicycle to collect the leathers that the animal breeders left on the farms.

With the business's success, he managed to buy a motorcycle and then a Citroën van to collect and deliver the raw material to tanneries, leaving behind the agricultural chores at his parents' farm, where he lived with his 11 siblings.

In 1959 he decided to open his tannery, Fábrica Curtumes Ideal, managing to do the entire leather cycle, from collection to tanning. This family history and connection to leather served as inspiration for creating Ideal & Co in 2012.