The hands behind a Gamberini bag: Simone, Tania, Carlotta

Made in Italy is an easy label to write. I'd rather tell it as geography.

Simone and the leather

The bags are sewn by Simone, my trusted artisan for years, with his small team. Cutting, stitching and assembly all happen there, one batch at a time: we buy the hides ourselves, we cut what we need, and one hide never yields the same number of pieces.

The hides come from Tuscan tanneries and from Arzignano, in the Vicenza area. They are the two districts where Italy has been tanning for centuries.

Tania and the fabrics, in Altedo

We buy the silks and couture fabrics from Tania, in Altedo, just outside Bologna. They come from the collections of Italian fashion houses.

From there they reach our workshop, and they become cameo here. They are centred by hand, one at a time: you choose where the pattern falls before cutting, and you accept the waste. No two are the same.

Carlotta and the frames, in Casalecchio di Reno

The oval frames are made by Carlotta, in Casalecchio di Reno, together with other workshops in the area. Each one takes five machining passes before it can be fitted, and the finishes are three: gold, platinum, black anodised.

There's no room for compromise on thickness and finish, because the frame is the part you open and close every time you change the cameo. The size hasn't changed since 2014: that's why a cameo made today fits a bag from twelve years ago.

Three names

Simone, Tania, Carlotta. Bologna, Altedo, Casalecchio di Reno.

A label is printed. A map can be checked.