MARAL FEATURED IN HARPER'S BAZAAR
If there is one fashion item that is truly an investment for life, it is a leather jacket. Dutch family-owned company ARMA has spent over forty years building its reputation as a specialist in timeless leather jackets and garments of exceptional quality.
In 1985, Maral’s father Aram founded ARMA together with three business partners, in a market that looked very different from the one we know today. Leather had always played an important role in the family. His father worked in the leather industry, while Aram himself started out as a cleaner at a leather company. Over time, he learned the craft and gained an understanding of the business. One day, when he told his employer that perhaps he could do it himself, the response was clear: “You’re never going to be successful.” It turned out to be a serious miscalculation.
While other children mostly observed their parents’ work from a distance, Maral quite literally grew up in between the clothing racks, collections and employees. “My father was always busy with ARMA,” she recalls. “My brother and I were there a lot. We would watch the collections come together, but we were just as likely to help tidy up and clean.” Today, she runs the family business alongside her brother Arden, although there was never a carefully mapped-out succession plan.
MARAL FEATURED IN HARPER'S BAZAAR
If there is one fashion item that is truly an investment for life, it is a leather jacket. Dutch family-owned company ARMA has spent over forty years building its reputation as a specialist in timeless leather jackets and garments of exceptional quality.
In 1985, Maral’s father Aram founded ARMA together with three business partners, in a market that looked very different from the one we know today. Leather had always played an important role in the family. His father worked in the leather industry, while Aram himself started out as a cleaner at a leather company. Over time, he learned the craft and gained an understanding of the business. One day, when he told his employer that perhaps he could do it himself, the response was clear: “You’re never going to be successful.” It turned out to be a serious miscalculation.
While other children mostly observed their parents’ work from a distance, Maral quite literally grew up in between the clothing racks, collections and employees. “My father was always busy with ARMA,” she recalls. “My brother and I were there a lot. We would watch the collections come together, but we were just as likely to help tidy up and clean.” Today, she runs the family business alongside her brother Arden, although there was never a carefully mapped-out succession plan.
"My father always wanted to create a luxury product, but at a realistic price point. Something you could save up for, invest in, and then enjoy for years to come.” For years, this approach made ARMA a relatively under-the-radar success story. While other fashion brands focused on campaigns and visibility, ARMA invested in distribution, production, and craftsmanship.
Maral and her brother noticed that ARMA had reached a turning point. The foundation was strong, but a new generation of customers called for a different approach. “We wanted to take the brand to the next level without losing sight of where it came from.” Like any true family business, that evolution didn’t happen without discussion.
The combination of innovation and craftsmanship proved undeniably successful. More importantly, the brand’s growth never came at the expense of its core values. “Our classic styles still account for a significant share of our revenue. It shows that you don’t have to change everything in order to grow.”
"My father always wanted to create a luxury product, but at a realistic price point. Something you could save up for, invest in, and then enjoy for years to come.” For years, this approach made ARMA a relatively under-the-radar success story. While other fashion brands focused on campaigns and visibility, ARMA invested in distribution, production, and craftsmanship.
Maral and her brother noticed that ARMA had reached a turning point. The foundation was strong, but a new generation of customers called for a different approach. “We wanted to take the brand to the next level without losing sight of where it came from.” Like any true family business, that evolution didn’t happen without discussion.
The combination of innovation and craftsmanship proved undeniably successful. More importantly, the brand’s growth never came at the expense of its core values. “Our classic styles still account for a significant share of our revenue. It shows that you don’t have to change everything in order to grow.”
Throughout the conversation, Maral repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the people behind the brand, from the team in Badhoevedorp to the employees at ARMA’s own factory in Turkey. It is precisely this in-house production facility that gives ARMA a rare advantage.
The word armor also comes up several times throughout our conversation. Not only because it sounds phonetically similar to ARMA, but because, according to Maral, it perfectly captures what a leather jacket does. “It feels like an extra layer, a kind of shield.” The weight, the structure, and the way leather shapes itself to the body give the wearer a certain sense of confidence, she explains. Yet the jacket should never take center stage. “We want the design to be an extension of who you are.”
Interview by Lara Oliveri
Throughout the conversation, Maral repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the people behind the brand, from the team in Badhoevedorp to the employees at ARMA’s own factory in Turkey. It is precisely this in-house production facility that gives ARMA a rare advantage.
The word armor also comes up several times throughout our conversation. Not only because it sounds phonetically similar to ARMA, but because, according to Maral, it perfectly captures what a leather jacket does. “It feels like an extra layer, a kind of shield.” The weight, the structure, and the way leather shapes itself to the body give the wearer a certain sense of confidence, she explains. Yet the jacket should never take center stage. “We want the design to be an extension of who you are.”
Interview by Lara Oliveri