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July 5, 2020 In Best Of, Live By Nancy

How designer shoes and bags are born

Once in awhile a handbag, or pair of shoes, catches my eye and I pick it up to discover a price tag in the thousands of dollars. Little did I guess the origin story of such fabulously overpriced, beautifully made, and highly-coveted accessories. A former Gucci executive explained to me how Italian, French, and American fashion labels share a common supply chain which surprising leads to small garages in the Italian heartland.

Luxury bags and shoes start with great leather. Hides have to be of the highest quality and impeccably dyed. (Another time I will write about the man who is behind creating the “it” colors each season for brands like Chloe.) After a rigorous selection process the hides are dyed and shipped to brands like Gucci for cutting. The hides are very valuable so the process of cutting is a critical control point for profitability. Sloppy cutting results in excess leather which is wasted — unless there is enough of it from a particular pattern to rework into a new design for sale. Cutting is also controlled in-house as there is a temptation for a few “mistakes” that could be sold on the black market by less than scrupulous subcontractors. After it is cut the leather, together with any parts needed to complete the bag or shoes like zippers or metal trim, are put into a bag and shipped out for assembly.

And this is where I think it gets really interesting. All over Italy there is a vast network of highly-trained artisans, many of whom learned the trade through generations of their families, who take the pieces and make the final product by hand. Although many of these workshops are what you expect, larger factory-like buildings with dozens of employees, a significant percentage are actually a couple of people working out of their garages. I love that these items, sold in temple-like shrines of fashion and brandished by celebrities and denizens of the 1% in a constant battle of one-upmanship are actually made by some dude (albeit a master) in a garage in an average Italian town. All earning the coveted “Made In Italy” mark.

I tried to work my contacts to visit one of these micro-workshops but my inquiries were rejected. The identity and location of these prized artisans are closely guarded by both brands and the workers themselves (whose tax reporting may not be fully accurate).

Of course coronavirus has wreaked havoc with many of these workshops, both large and tiny. Many artisans may not be able to carry on as the ecosystem is so tightly dependent on the overall health of the fashion sector, which for Italy is a 165 billion euro part of the economy, expected to be down at least 40% this year. Here are two articles covering the situation from the NYTimes and Fashionista.

December 1, 2019 In Best Of, Roam By Nancy

Holiday gift inspirations: wearable history

As I described in a previous Itch, my saga to find an antique Roman coin ring has been achieved after many years of searching. But when I was thinking of special things I could share with you that would make great gifts, and easily ship outside of Italy, I decided to go back to the ring’s source and ask the owner what items he has at the moment that he particularly loves—it varies all the time as all pieces are one of a kind. The small store Serra, in Rome, mainly has beautiful china, silver, and crystal, but Alessandro (the fourth generation of the family to have the store) has a passion for history and antique coins and intaglio which he makes into jewelry. He speaks excellent English, can tell you the history of everything he sells, and the authenticity is guaranteed. And he is kindly offering Itch readers a 10% discount.

Something I learned from Alessandro while researching this article is that that making jewelry from coins and intaglio is far more ancient than I’d realized. As Alessandro wrote:

“The custom of encrusting coins to create jewelry is extremely ancient; its origins are to be found in the Greek world and the most widespread was in Rome between the first and third centuries AD. The Romans attributed a talismanic and amuletic power to the jewels thus made, giving the coin a much more complex task than that for which it was minted. Glyptics, or intaglio, are the “minute but not lesser” art of engraving precious and semi-precious stones (but also glass pastes). In Roman times they were widely used for rings, for men or women, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. The engraved stones were worked by skilled engravers — the themes of the figures were chosen by the customers or left to the aesthetic sense of the artist. Almost always the choice was of mythological or allegorical subjects. Still today there is a flourishing market of these ancient stones, which over time have been found because they were often removed and thrown away by those seeking only gold and silver, as by the Barbarians in the days of the invasions.”

Here are a few of Alessandro’s favorite things in the store at the moment. He, of course, has a much wider variety available. To purchase you can contact Alessandro directly at info@serra-roma.it. (I am passing this along because I love this jewelry … no commission.)

Silver ring with a Roman coin of a Gorgon DRACHM – NEAPOLIS (411-348 B.C.). Because of their legendary and powerful gaze that could turn one to stone, images of the Gorgons were put upon objects and buildings for protection. Reverse is Artemis. She was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. € 670,00 + € 50,00 shipping with insurance (and don’t forget to ask for the 10% discount.)

Gilded silver earrings with original Roman coins depicting Julia Mamea and Emperor Septimius Severus. -Coin 1: Denarius_Front: IVLIA MAMAEA, draped and diademated bust right. JVLIA MAMAEA (180-235 AC). She was the nephew of the emperor Septimius Severus—guy on on the other coin. -Coin 2: Denarius_Front: SEVERVS PIVS AVG. Head right. LVCIVS SEPTIMIVS SEVERVS ( 193-211 A.D.). Born in A.D. 146 at Leptis Magna in Africa, Severus was a soldier of outstanding ability, holding a series of increasingly important commands until, at the death of Commodus, he was governor of Upper Pannonia. Severus was saluted as emperor by the troops at Carnantum. He spent much of his reign in campaigning in different parts of the Empire and also visiting many of the provinces. He died at York on February 4th, A.D. 211. € 890,00 + € 50 shipping with insurance (before 10% Itch discount.)

Gold ring with a Roman intaglio (Ist century A.D. – engraved cornelian) depicting two winged Nike facing each other. Nike is the goddess of strength, speed and victory. €2.550,00 + €50 shipping including insurance (before 10% Itch discount.)

Silver and leather bracelet with original Roman coin depicting Apollo. Denarius_ Front: Laureated head of Apollo. PANSA behind. Apollo is the symbol of male beauty, god of music, art, knowledge, illness resolution, archery and the sun. He is always depicted as a beautiful man with the perfect body form. Rear: C. VIBIUS C. Minerva who leads a quadriga at a gallop. Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare and the sponsor of arts and trade. € 590,00 + € 50,00 shipping with insurance. (Before 10% discount.)

June 8, 2019 In Best Of, Roam By Nancy

Empire in a hamlet: Brunello Cucinelli

I keep hearing interesting things about the cashmere designer and “humanistic capitalist” Brunello Cucinelli, most recently that he hosted Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman, and other, as the Italian press headlined, “Big della Silicon Valley” in the hamlet which is the headquarters of his 500 million euro brand. The subject was “…our respect, safeguard and promotion of what has always been seen as the deepest treasure of people, the highest evidence of the original nobility of man, the utmost expression of freedom and moral supremacy: the soul.” Equally curious and skeptical (whenever billionaires start making plans for the human soul), I wanted to learn more.

The Cucinelli lore is that Brunello grew up deep in the Umbrian countryside, near Perugia, in a house without electricity or running water. After the family moved to the urban north of Italy so that his father could work in a cement factory the family happiness plummeted, and Brunello saw his father return from work often humiliated and morally defeated. After dropping out of engineering school to study philosophy on his own he pledged to create work for people that provided moral and economic dignity. “I have listened to the wise and moving words of Saint Francis, Saint Benedict, Kant, Marcus Aurelius, Socrates, Seneca, and I have realised that economic value is nothing without the human component and that the former cannot survive without the latter.” In 1978 he started out with a $500 loan and dyed some cashmere sweaters a range of bright colors (previously cashmere was available mostly in neutrals). They were a huge success.

The company grew from there and in 1982 he married his highschool sweetheart, Federica, and they moved to the hamlet where she grew up, Solomeo. In 1985 they made the town the headquarters of the growing business and purchased the ruins of a 14th-century castle to refurbish. As the company continued to grow they invested more and more into the community and the workers, paying 20% more than the average wage, ending the work day at 5:30 and discouraging working online after that time, and closing everything for a 90 minute, highly-subsidized lunch. Pretty interesting considering fashion is one of the most competitive and “always-on” industries around. “People need their rest,” Cucinelli says. “If I make you overwork, I have stolen your soul.”

Cucinelli has restored the hamlet, including the church and the theater, and founded the Solomeo School of Arts and Crafts (inspired by William Morris and John Ruskin) to teach and celebrate fine craftsmanship. Recently they cleared away some ugly industrial buildings at the foot of the hill and built a light-filled new factory, youth center, sports grounds, and parks. It’s a great model that he can do good and it only adds more value to his brand.

photo from brunellocucinelli.com

I heard that at one point he wanted to increase the size of his business substantially and looked at what it would take to expand while controlling quality of product (and life)—how to resource more cashmere, where to get it dyed, how to find enough craftsmen to hire and train to make the garments, where to build more factories—and decided that instead of scaling volume he would raise prices significantly, which has been successful because of the huge popularity of the brand.

I went to Solomeo for the morning and my feelings were mixed. I was so excited to see how he’d restored the village, but I found the restoration to be a bit cold and not preserving the organic serendipity that makes old buildings so human and interesting. I showed Donella and John some photos over lunch and Donella said “It looks like it’s a new ‘Tuscan village’ gated community in China.” Hmmm. It’s fair enough that the company dominates the hamlet—it does employ 1,600 locals—but I wasn’t expecting it to feel quite so antiseptic. However it is wonderful to save a tiny hamlet that would probably otherwise be largely in ruin.

photo from brunellocucinelli.com

On the other hand the clothes are incredible. I loved everything in the store but find it hard to imagine paying $3,000 for a simple cashmere sweater, over $8,000 for a coat, or $9,000 shearling jacket, even if I could.

I want to love everything he is doing—I’ve often wondered how to help foster thriving businesses without wrecking everything good about Italy—but there is something holding me back from being 100% a fan girl. Maybe it’s that what I love most about Italy is the inherent messiness, directness, lack of branding and facade. Along with the sad realization that those traits don’t usually drive success and growth. Wondering if there are ways for villages to prosper, kids to have career options, family businesses to thrive while not killing what makes people happier, more present, and more “real” than I’ve seen anywhere else. It was fascinating to see one model for a solution.

(top image from corcianonline.it)

February 3, 2019 In Best Of, Roam By Nancy

Adventures in high fashion: Sugar

Where I live I’m surrounded by three-wheeled Ape trucks, nonne in housecoats, and farmers in “onesie” jumpsuits on tractors. The last thing I expected to find is that I am near one of the fashion meccas of the world: Beppe Angiolini’s remarkable store, Sugar, in Arezzo. Another surprise is that an expat friend I’ve made in the village is also an ex-fashionista with serious cred in the fashion world and has become my guide and interpreter of this foreign universe. Or at least foreign to me, who has always been slightly terrified of high fashion.

This savvy woman used to be one of the key executives at Neiman-Marcus where she helped discover brands, including bringing Prada into the limelight. Then she moved to Italy to turn Gucci around with Tom Ford. So when she raves about Beppe and his store, and why it is important, I listen.

Luxury brands control every aspect of how their collections are displayed and sold. They go to market through their own stores or through branded sections of stores that carry many different lines. There is no mingling between Chloe and Alexander Wang in the racks at Barneys. If a store buys a collection, they buy the whole thing. Apparently there’s only one guy with enough clout to pick individual items from collections and art direct his own mix, and that’s Beppe, who opened Sugar in the 1980s.

Beppe Angiolini from TheSartorialist.com

He recently restored the ancient Palazzo Lambardi in Arezzo and relocated his store from across the street. The mix of lighting, mirrors, video, and modern furniture with the ancient frescoed walls makes one of the most fascinating architectural spaces I’ve seen. During restoration they discovered several rooms with Roman mosaic floors which they have skillfully incorporated with raised glass floors. In this stark space is a startling juxtaposition with a cluster of mannequins sporting the latest look.

Particularly after the demise of the store Colette in Paris, Sugar is now even more of an international destination. They will be opening rooms to stay in on the top floor, and have a small caffe with seriously good coffee.

And no, I am no more fashionable than before. But at least I know where I can work on it. And if you are so inclined, they have a serious online store at Sugar.it.