Leather Cluster Barcelona hosts the initial meeting and reinforces its essential role as an international connector between education, industry and innovation

After months of dedication, coordination and shared vision, on 17 February the collaboration project between La Gaspar, Igualada’s municipal school of art and design, and Les Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France was officially launched.

The meeting held at the Adoberia Bella, headquarters of Leather Cluster Barcelona, marks the beginning of a strategic European alliance between La Gaspar and one of the most prestigious institutions in Europe in artisan training. This collaboration is about sustainability, innovation and building a broader European perspective within the field of craftsmanship and design education.

Les Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France is a historic French institution dedicated to vocational training in artisan and technical trades, with more than eight centuries of tradition. It is considered a model of excellence in artisan training in Europe. The compagnonnage model has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2010.

This collaboration between La Gaspar x Les Compagnons du Devoir Paris is much more than an Erasmus mobility; it represents a long-term commitment to strengthening European cooperation in artisan training, fostering the exchange of knowledge, techniques and innovation, and placing leather studies within a shared, future-oriented European framework.

The agreement is driven and supported by Leather Cluster Barcelona, which has connected this educational initiative with the entire leather ecosystem, coordinating visits to tanneries and key sector players so that students can learn first-hand about the industry’s processes, innovation and future challenges.

With actions like this, Leather Cluster Barcelona consolidates its role as a strategic driver of the leather industry value chain, strengthens the sector’s international projection and enhances the connection between education and business.

Leather Cluster Barcelona is a competitive cooperation environment that promotes cross-cutting, transformative strategic projects aimed at driving the ecosystem of the Catalan leather sector within the framework of Shared Value policies. The cluster is an accredited entity within the Catalonia Clusters programme and is supported by Acció.