On a quiet street 20 minutes from Milan’s legendary “Golden Triangle” stands the Zagliani factory, where a team of artisans, many of whom have been with the brand for decades, craft bespoke and ready-to-wear leather designs.
It’s a warm summer afternoon, and the Zagliani factory is virtually silent. Despite the intricate and elaborate manufacturing taking place, almost every item is completed by hand rather than machine.
At a time when even the most rarefied Italian luxury labels are often outsourced to Eastern Europe or Asia, Zagliani is not only still made in Italy — nearly every item is made in Milan.
Founded in 1947 by Bruna Zagliani — heir to a Milanese family of leather special- ists — Zagliani has recently emerged as an ultra-riche, under-the-radar favorite of young Hollywood.
From Nicole Kidman and Cindy Crawford to Rihanna and Natalia Vodianova, Zagliani’s signature logoless bags — like the roomy Puffy and the architecture-influenced Gatsby— are increasingly coveted by the cosmopolitan stealthily-wealthy.
At the core of Zagliani’s design philosophy are its chief materials, like skins of crocodile, ostrich, lizard, stingray and python on the outside, buttery-soft calfskin within. Sustain- ably sourced from around the world, the hides are carefully tanned and trimmed to reveal their most coveted cuts, which form the base of every Zagliani item.
“Our master craftsmen work with each precious skin as if they were fabric,” explains Jana Katancik, Zagliani’s global brand and product director.
The goal, she adds, is “to ensure a harmony of alignment of scales in each final piece to truly make it one of a kind.”
special order at Barneys New York, 660 Madison Ave.Courtesy of the Designer
Although Zagliani has recently expanded its floor space at Barneys New York, the brand’s roots remain planted in Milan. Here, within a restored 17th-century palazzo on the Via Durini, Zagliani has established a design stu- dio and showroom that reflect the best of both historic and modern Italian artistry.
The exquisite building houses Zagliani’s atelier — a space for bespoke leather-goods orders that can top $20,000.
For fall, Zagliani is experimenting with new fabric treatments, including metalized lamé ostrich, black nabuk crocodile and rubberized python.
Every piece “results in incredible softness,” Katancik says. “Zagliani pieces are made to be touched.”