After 40 Years, a Dutch Leather Label Is Suddenly Everywhere
A 40-year-old Dutch leather label most shoppers have never heard of is selling out in Milan and doubling its orders in Paris.
Arma, a leather apparel brand from the Netherlands, only recently made a global push despite being founded in 1985, according to WWD.
The label was started in Amsterdam in 1985 by Aram Aykaz with three business partners. It has stayed a family business. It is now led as co-chief executives by Aykaz's daughter Mayal Aykaz, who oversees creative, and son Arden Aykaz, who leads production and operations.
Menswear was the main business at the start. Womenswear is now centre stage. Bestsellers are leather and suede outerwear, especially the bomber, the short zip-front jacket. Leather outerwear is priced between $700 and $1,700.
As of fall 2026, Arma is sold at Mytheresa, the German online luxury retailer, Nordstrom, the US department-store chain, Net-a-porter, the online luxury retailer, Bergdorf Goodman, the New York department store, Selfridges, the London department store, and Le Bon Marché, the Paris department store. Le Bon Marché doubled its order this year. Net-a-porter significantly increased its investment for fall 2026 after an outstanding first season the year before, WWD reported.
In Milan, the multibrand boutique Antonia sold out its first delivery within weeks of introducing the label. In wholesale, selling to shops that resell as against selling direct to shoppers, 85 of the 100 US doors carrying Arma are independent speciality shops. The brand works with Parrot, its international sales agency, on that expansion.
The DACH region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland remains its largest market. The US is its fastest-growing market. Arma will begin shipping from a US warehouse in October to support the wholesale business.
Behind the racks is its own factory in Safranbolu in Turkey. Founder Aram Aykaz, who grew up in Turkey, built relationships with local tanneries, the workshops that turn raw hides into leather, before setting up the plant. The company focuses on leather, suede and shearling, sheepskin with the wool left on, alongside other fabrics to complete the look.
WWD, the US fashion trade publication, described Arma as offering a contemporary take on apparel at what it called a refreshingly reasonable price point. The description came in a fashion feature titled "Why This Dutch Leather Brand Is Suddenly Everywhere" by Kathy Lee.
What makes this stand out is the timeline. Forty years of quiet factory work came before the sudden visibility. The next test is whether repeat orders follow the sell-outs.
