the Pretiosa

Well, living in Florence for more that a year makes me realize more and more how proud the fiorentini  are for their rich leather technicians heritage. The leather goods of all the major brands are produced here. "The Row" a pure-american-marketed-brand,even though produced in New York factories, have their handbags produced in Italy but this is not the only example.

More than three are the famous leather bespoke shoe makers here in Florence(among them Roberto Ugolini mentioned in my last post) and if you happen to walk by their stores, you will see them create shoes and bags with their own hands every single day.

So when I read about "La Pretiosa" bag, I thought that if I wasn't living here maybe I wouldn't appreciate this bag as much as I do now. It is a special edition, 100% handmade (only created in 99 pieces) and it is based in Leonardo Da Vinci's Atlantic Codex (yes apparently he designed fashion items as well). The bag is created by the Florence-based Gherardini brand and what is even more impressive is the fact that Lisa Gherardini is said to have been Leonardo's inspiration as the famous model for the "Mona Lisa". She was living in Florence's San Lorenzo area, only steps away from the leather markets.

click here to see how "La Pretiosa" was crafted and visit the Gherardini site for more info about the bag.