Bespoke Commissions · Est. 1974
A piece, built for one journey — and the twenty after it.
Six weeks of lead time. One of fourteen artisans at the bench. The maker's initials, stamped inside the gusset before the leather cools. This is not a configurator; it is correspondence with a Florentine workshop.
The Six Weeks, Chapter by Chapter
Six weeks is not a queue. It is six distinct human acts.
Each commission moves through the workshop the way a letter moves through a post office — one hand to the next, with the head artisan reading every note. The chapter numbers below correspond to the numbered production card that travels inside your bag, from hide selection to the final brass stamp.
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I
The Consultation
A written exchange — dimensions, intended use, monogram preference, the airports it will live in. Replies arrive within two working days from the workshop, signed by Chiara.
Days 1–3 · by correspondence
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II
The Hide Selection
Three full-grain vacchetta panels, aged sixty days, are pulled from the curtain and photographed under raking light. You choose; we record the lot number on the production card.
Days 4–8 · hide aged 1.4–1.8 mm
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III
The Pattern
Hand-cut from a paper pattern drafted for your measurements. Offcuts are returned to the tannery for re-tanning — nothing is wasted. A photo of the cut panels is sent on day twelve.
Days 9–14 · one artisan, one bench
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IV
The Construction
Saddle-stitched at six stitches per centimetre — by hand, with waxed linen thread. Frames, lining, and handle mounts are fitted. This is where the average eighteen-hour build lives.
Days 15–32 · the longest chapter
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V
The Finishing
Edges are burnished with beeswax and shellac; brass is fitted; the maker's initials are stamped inside the gusset. A final photograph is sent for your approval before packing.
Days 33–40 · polish, stamp, sign
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VI
The Delivery
Wrapped in unbleached cotton, packed in a hand-folded card box, dispatched from Florence with insurance and a hand-written provenance note. The production card stays with the bag for life.
Days 41–42 · door to door
Direct to the Maker
You will not speak to a sales associate. You will speak to me.
I answer every commission inquiry myself — usually within two working days, sometimes between saddle stitches. From the moment you send your first note to the moment your bag leaves the workshop, you have my direct WhatsApp. I send photographs on days twelve, twenty-four and thirty-eight. I ask your opinion on the lining colour. I tell you when the tannery has sent a hide I think you will like better than the one we discussed.
This is the part no configurator can copy. It is also the part our clients return for — thirty-eight per cent of our commissions each year are from people who already own a Valigiero Rosse, or who were introduced by one.
Message Chiara on WhatsApp →Begin a Commission
Write to the workshop. We reply within two working days.
In your first note, please include the piece you have in mind (a weekender, a briefcase, a carry-on, something we have not yet built), approximate dimensions, the journey it will live on, and your preferred timeline. We will reply from the atelier — not a call centre — with a written estimate and a question or two.
Prefer a call? The workshop line is +39 055 234 0174, Tuesday to Friday, 10:00–18:00 CET. By appointment outside those hours.