True luxury
Designer Elena Berton on new luxury
"What actually constitutes a luxury item?", Italian designer Elena Berton asked herself.
Berton asked herself. Her answers to this question are a declaration of love to all the wonderful
wonderful craftsmen and traditional manufacturers in her home country. At the same time
but they are also a plea for more sustainability and against the fast pace of life.
Because Berton is convinced that true luxury becomes more beautiful over the years ...
Text: Elena Berton
True luxury is the privilege of owning a special, unique, timeless object that becomes more beautiful over the years and does not wear out. For more than 30 years I have been working with some of the most skilled Italian craftsmen and women who are rightly proud of their skills and express their artistry with humility and determination. Their work preserves the tradition of regional manufacturing in Italy and at the same time develops it further. They encouraged me at the time to design objects made entirely by hand that reflect this demand for authenticity and expertise.
This is how my limited edition was born - a few numbered products, made in the workshops of Marco, Loredana, Alessandro and Roberto. People I appreciate and admire, from whom I learn something new every day. For me, it has become a mission to shine a spotlight on their work before it is lost to us. Because when a craftsman dies, his archive full of valuable information that has never been written down is lost forever.
There are no manuals, no instructions for the most sophisticated processing techniques,
but only hands, hearts, irreplaceable protagonists of a story. My acquaintance with Marco, for example, opened the door to the wonderful world of braiding. I watch him as he carefully lays one leather strap on top of another with perfect tension and symmetry. Marco explains to me that no two weavings are the same, that each one bears the invisible signature of its creator.
It takes 14 to 16 hours of weaving and 160 meters of leather straps of the same thickness and quality to make one of my bags. And it takes four to five days before the product is completely finished; 14 to 16 work steps are necessary. Sewing the handles alone often takes a whole day, it's very complicated and can only be done by hand - which is precisely what protects my product from being copied.
No compromises
Loredana studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and specializes in leather dyeing and painting. Her skill breathes life into every design, every shade of color is perfect, a small work of art. Loredana is also a proven expert when it comes to creating new effects on leather using natural pigments. She advises companies all over the world. These processing techniques have been refined and perfected in Italy since the Renaissance. The Italian master craftsmen are the heirs to this history and are still appreciated all over the world for their unique knowledge and skills.
True luxury is made by people, but the materials also count - in this case I'm talking about the vegetable-tanned leather from Santa Croce near Florence. The bark of a different tree is used for each leather. By completely avoiding chemicals, vegetable tanning takes much longer and is more ostentatious than chrome tanning (which is completed in 24 hours). However, it is also much more environmentally friendly because no toxins are used or released into the environment.
Now that I know all this, I just can't compromise anymore. That's why I only use quality goods made in Italy for my collection. After selecting every single leather for the different products, I bring Roberto the best leather from Tuscany for the woven exteriors of my bags. He runs his fingers over it, almost sorry to cut it. He is an old-school craftsman, everything has to be perfect, his pride dictates that. Together with him, I decide which thread to use for the seams, how long the stitches should be, how the handles and the lining should be sewn to the braided outside.
Sustainable quality
I started designing fashion and accessories because I enjoy it and because I like beautiful things, but above all I thought it was time for a collection that, apart from the design, expresses the excellence of Italian craftsmanship and gives it the recognition it deserves. My project was born spontaneously, without any business plan, simply out of the conviction that I was on the right track. It is fundamental to reward the craftsmen and women for their skills, to honor their work and to offer them a future. I became fascinated and interested in this very special world when I was a teenager and accompanied my mother to the workshops in Florence. I still have some of the products that were made especially for me back then. After all these years, they are practically as good as new, but their added value is not just their quality, but that they are so timeless that they stay with you for a lifetime and remind you of the moment you held them in your hands for the first time. It is these unforgettable moments and these unique people that make up a product, that determine its value and that, in their irretrievability, represent true luxury.
About Elena Berton:
Elena Berton comes from an old Venetian family and worked in Italian fashion production during her studies, where she gained the experience that forms the basis of her work. Today, the designer of high-quality bags and accessories is convinced that after decades of mass consumption of luxury products, which are often only characterized by their brand value, but not by the materials used or the quality of workmanship, a rethink is now taking place. Tradition, honest work, the finest materials and carefully crafted products are now more in demand than ever. Elena Berton produces her own "limited edition line" of high-quality, handmade products, which can be purchased in her stores in Munich, Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi, among others.
www.elenaberton.com
