Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Erika from @ErikasOriginals, on the New MN Straps (Made In-House and even Better than Before)
Apparently, the MN Straps have become even better!
Three years ago, Dutch lady Erika started her own strap company, inspired by old-school Marine Nationale military straps – a great option for your vintage diver, your tool watches or your pilot chronograph. And while it’s « just » a strap, the Erika’s Original MN straps generated a lot of buzz becoming an instant hit and making Erika one of the big names in the strap industry. From a one-woman-show to a proper company that now manufactures its straps in-house, we talk with Erika about present and future!
Frank Geelen, MONOCHROME – How did you get started with watch straps? And what is Erika’s Originals doing today?
Erika, @ErikasOriginals – Time flies… A terrible cliche I know, but oh so true!
When I started Erika’s Originals a few years ago, I had no idea what I was in for… Back then, I was stitching all the straps myself, often outside on the terrace enjoying the Spanish sun. Today I am a company of 10 and I have dealers and distributors all around the world. I am currently on a crazy world tour to promote my new-generation MN straps (editor’s note: MN stands for Marine Nationale, the inspiration behind the brand, explained here) and meet customers, dealers and distributors face to face. Just because my business is via the internet does not mean it is not personal and I love the opportunity to match a lot of faces to the names!
You started doing everything yourself… But now you’re manufacturing your own fabrics! How, where…
When MONOCHROME first reviewed my straps, I had just introduced the first-generation MN straps. But the thing was that I received so many requests from customers saying they needed more colours because they could not wear the Vintage MN to work. Since then I kept searching for even higher quality webbing and we finally ended up buying our own loom (weaving machine). I just launched the new-generation MN straps and they are now woven in-house, which not only means the quality is even better than the first-generation MN straps but also allows us to experiment with different colours and designs.
We never set out to buy our own machine but if you want the “impossible”, sometimes you simply have to… This machine we are using to produce the new webbing is designed to produce artificial arteries and we are using it to make elastic webbing… Crazy but true!
I assume you’re not answering every email anymore, especially now you’re on a world tour. Please share some impressions of the past four weeks meeting clients, retailers and friends?
Just before the launch of the new generation MN straps, I thought it would be a nice idea to visit a few of my dealers and show them the new straps myself.
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My straps were featured in Japanese magazines recently with requests for interviews, I was also working on a special edition MN strap for Time&Tide Australia and New York was already planning to show my MN straps on the WindUp watch fair, it ended up being a world tour. I said goodbye (and Merry Christmas) to my staff and jumped on a plane on 9-11 leaving the atelier in Spain in their capable hands.
Then, I travelled to the Netherlands, Zurich, Paris (Bell&Ross) and Helsinki (Stepan Sarpaneva) and I said goodbye to Europe in London where I spent a lovely week with Alistair Gibbons from ATG watches who was kind enough to drive me through England and introduced me to a lot of nice watch fans.
In Toronto and Ottawa, I met up with the RedBarCrews and from there the journey continued to Houston, Texas. I spent a few nights there with Ariel Xavier from the Facebook group WatchWabi and enjoyed some quiet time at an alligator farm… A nice contrast because the following week I was in the hectic, but fabulous as always, New York. Another RedBarCrew evening and a very busy WindUp watch fair with a lot of familiar and new faces. Then on to Asia, a first for me…
It’s not always easy to find a balance between my work and travel, I mean, here I am in all these amazing cities stuck behind my computer for hours answering emails, posting pictures etc., while I want to see some of the city and country I am staying in, experience the culture and meet the people…. It is pretty exhausting but gives me so much energy at the same time. Like I said at the beginning: time flies.
Where is your trip taking you in the coming six weeks? And where can our readers meet you?
First, a few days in Taipei then on to Tokyo. A perfect balance between work and fun, thanks to Alex Nakayama, my distributor in Japan, who not only introduced me to several dealers and magazines (and translated everything) but also took me to the best restaurants and explained all about Japanese culture. My close friend Ingeborg from the Netherlands joined me to explore Tokyo on a more tourist level, which was particularly nice because it is nice to share and ventilate all new experiences and impressions.
After she left I spent my last day outside Tokyo in a traditional hotel with ‘onsen’ just outside Tokyo to recharge my battery for the next part of my trip: Australia! Another first and definitely not a last!
Next stops on my #erikaontour: Manila (24/11-03/12), Seoul (03/12-09/12), Singapore (09/12- 13/12, Bangkok (13/12-21/12) then I fly back to Europe through Vienna and spend Christmas with my family in Austria, then Amsterdam and New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands and finally meet up with the crew in the atelier in Spain again in early January to talk about new ideas for the new year. P.S. If anybody reading this would like to meet up during my trip, they can send me an email or DM via Instagram (@erikasoriginal) and we will make it happen!
As I am writing this, I am overlooking Darling Harbor in Sydney and feel blessed… These past four years have been crazy but so much fun, my life is an adventure!
And more importantly, where are your straps sold?
And now, to answer your question on where to buy the straps… Simply go on our webshop, erikasoriginals.com. The MN straps are available in multiple colours, with dozens of colours for the central stripe and in all possible sizes (width and length) and with options for the hardware too.
6 responses
In house artesian woven?? Think there’s an error in that sentence.
75€+ for a NATO strap… That’s a bit of a stretch.
Are they woven by lawyers or pilots ? If not, why are they so expensive ?
I got one of her straps a couple years ago, when they were 50€ and there weren’t any alternatives yet. Back then, I could recommend it despite the high price, because it was so comfortable.
Now, many other shops offer elastic straps, and I recently got one from WatchGecko that is just as nice as my original MN strap for less than half the price.
And yet, the MN straps are now 75€. I don’t see the point in getting one of those now. They clearly aim to reach the market of “luxury” watch buyers that won’t bat an eye at the price, probably after their collaborations with brands like B&R. But for the average enthusiast like me, they priced themselves way out of the market.
Many have thought Erika is leaving her customers behind by offering more colors, more widths, custom sizing, embroidered national flags, custom metal finishes and more. Yet look at the price of stainless bracelets – $60 to $150 for Citizen’s oyster bracelets for their Divers. Forstners are $125 yet few bat an eye or complain about the unique features because “It makes the watch.” Plenty of less expensive bands are out there – but, you get what you pay for, right?
Just received one of those lesser priced MN style straps from a European source, and already have two issues: 1st, it’s too big for a 6.75″ wrist, 2nd, the wrap pattern isn’t as secure as Erika’s. I will now add more value to the strap by modifying it with my time and labor to get it to function. I accept this, cash flow is an issue we all have to deal with – but we all too often cheap ourself. If I had just bought one Erika’s I might not be in this position. Maybe it’s not a positive thing to say how experienced I am at fixing things like this. Hmmm.
We get too soon old and too late smart.
I’ve bought over ten of Erika’s MN straps… yes, they are more expensive, and yes I have tried several other elastic copies fromWG and other trusted brands…
First, the elastic materials used in the cheaper brands is much different than the EOMNs… the cheaper nylom is much more stretchy and less secure, especially if you have a somewhat heavier watch… This makes the wearing much less comfortable and forces the user to wear it tighter, which leads tio other comfort issues.
Second, the fit… as mentioned above, the cheaper straps aren’t customized to your wrist size and are built for one size fits all, which might work for you, but not for my 7″ wrist.
Lastly, the colors and customizations offered by Erika put them all on the next level when it comes to having a proper fitting watch strap you can call your own.
Yes, you pay more, but it’s a much better product all around, which is really the point when buying these and other products.