Proudly Filipino- owned brand LEUPP offers affordably-priced everyday-wear timepieces

YOU won’t see any insignia on the face of LEUPP (pronounced loop) Watches. Instead, the brand’s emblem is placed on the back case and on the buckle. “We want to keep our watch face-free of logos,” reiterates LEUPP Watches founder Riane Garfin. “We are less focused on the brand label and more focused on the design and function.”

LEUPP is an independent watch company established in 2018 to fill the gap in affordably-priced everyday-wear timepieces. “Watches in this price range are not particularly aesthetically pleasing and tend to be just logos being stamped on a generic product,” notes Riane.

Having been in fashion accessories industry since 2014, Riane and her business partners saw an opportunity. She says, “After several years in operation, we realized that our watches were the obvious favorite. So, in 2018, we changed direction and focused solely on timepieces. That’s when we renamed the brand to LEUPP.” The name is a play on the word “loop.” Riane reveals, “Because that’s how this machine keeps time — through a cycle of repetitions.”

The designs are creations by Riane, herself, and a small team of designers based in the leafy district of Putney in southwest London. The company’s creation hub is essential to their identity, as Riane elaborates, “Today’s era is digitized and socialized. Tastes are evolving to a more global look and feel. Filipinos have become very particular. There is a need for elevated design at an accessible price. This is where LEUPP comes in. LEUPP is a Filipino-owned brand with its roots set in London. Our studio is tucked in London, a melting pot of cultural diversity. This is a strong influence to LEUPP’S universal appeal.”

For Riane, LEUPP is not just a business but a vocation to offer people beautiful things of lasting value. She sums LEUPP’S mission statement this way: “We are purveyors of time machines.”

LEUPP Watches are available through their official store, www.leuppwatches.com, and through Zalora PH and Lazada; and at select physical stores.