Holtbo didn't really start as a company or a fully formed idea.
It started with a bracelet.
I had received a bracelet from someone who means a great deal to me, and when it broke, I wanted to try to repair it instead of just replacing it. When I started looking for a new leather strap and a magnetic clasp, I also ordered some extra material – mostly out of curiosity to try making some bracelets of my own.
What initially was just a creative side project quickly became something more.
After I showed some of the bracelets online, an acquaintance contacted me and asked if it was possible to request something completely unique. He told me about his connection to the pilgrimage along the Way of St. James, Camino de Santiago, and that he missed jewelry with a more masculine feel and design.
That stuck with me.
I started experimenting with different ideas, symbols, materials, and expressions to try to create something that felt personal and different from much of what was already available.
And somewhere there, Holtbo also truly began to take shape.
One experiment led to another, and eventually, the curiosity grew so much that I bought my first laser machine. This opened up entirely new possibilities for creating details, engravings, and products with a more distinct expression.
Even today, much of the same idea remains in what I do:
to create products with personality, symbolism, and character – rather than just creating "things."
And perhaps that's why Holtbo never really started as a brand.
It began as the desire to create something personal that truly means something.