Braccialini is a leather accessories company founded in 1954 and based in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The company operates in 40 countries with 50 mono-brand stores globally.

History

The image of a rose forms the brand's logo because of Carla’s love for flowers. Carla has received the Cavaliere del Lavoro award, assigned to entrepreneurs for their contribution in their chosen field of profession.

Beginnings

Carla and her husband Roberto Braccialini started the company in 1954 as a small workshop with 4 to 5 employees in Florence, Italy. Initially, she started sewing without any formal knowledge with materials such as leather and straw, making clothes and selling them in Versilia. She then slowly moved to create bags with the same materials. Carla sketched the designs, and her husband made the bags and handled the business. The first bag was made with leather and straw, a unique choice at that time. She trained her team to learn the craft and sew. The bags were made to have a playful mood combined with unique designs and new materials. A flood in 1966 in Florence destroyed all the fabrics and the archives. Carla, with her team, had to start all over.

1980s

In the 1980s, two of Carla’s three sons Riccardo and Massimo joined the company and adopted her philosophy, and carried forth her vision. In 1987 the company entered into many licensing agreements with companies like Vivienne Westwood for the production and distribution of accessories: bags, belts, and small leather items. The following year, in 1988, Contromano, a partner company, was founded. Over the course of a few years, Braccialini entered into licensee agreements with brands like Roccobarocco,

Fiorucci Fiorucci () is an Italian fashion label founded by Elio Fiorucci in 1967. The first Fiorucci shop exposed Milan to the styles of Swinging London and to American classics such as the T-shirt and jeans. By the late 1970s, the direction of stylistic ...

, and Bagutta.

1990s

In 1990, Braccialini launched the Tua collection targeted at a younger audience. The first Braccialini

boutique A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse". The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...

was opened in Florence.

2000s

The 2000s was a period of growth for the brand. Braccialini collaborated with the

Mariella Burani Fashion Group The Mariella Burani Fashion Group, based in Cavriago, was a clothing, jewelry and watches company. Founded in 1960 by Walter and Mariella Burani, it became a public company listed on the stock exchanges of Milan and London. In February 2010 the ...

. Braccialini opened stores in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. In 2003 a new mono-brand store opens in Milan followed by boutiques in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

in 2004. Also, a licensee agreement with Mariella Burani is established to produce and distribute accessories for them all over the world. In 2005, the first

franchisee Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its busine ...

store in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and two boutiques in Dubai and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

are opened. The company acquires a 100% stake in Dadorosa Srl, with a worldwide licensee of Gherardini, 2007 a Florentine brand. The expansion of the brand continues with new stores in Dubai,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Braccialini also enters into more licensing agreements with Frangi Spa controlling the production of

foulard A foulard is a lightweight fabric, either twill or plain-woven, made of silk or a mix of silk and cotton. Foulards usually have a small printed design of various colors. ''Foulard'' can also refer by metonymy to articles of clothing, such as scar ...

scarves A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of diffe ...

beachwear A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, wom ...

and

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

. In 2009, Braccialini moved to the new headquarters in

Scandicci Scandicci () is a ''comune'' (municipality) of c. 50,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence. Scandicci borders the following municipalities: Campi Bisenzio, Florenc ...

, Florence. The Feng Shui inspired factory is designed by Chan tit-Kwan from

. The new building spreads across 10,000 square meters of space in heart of the leather manufacturing sector of Florence. The external façade is covered by vertical plants and ivy and the internal layout is constructed on the basis of Feng Shui principles. The factory also uses renewable sources of energy like solar panels and recovery of rainwater. In 2015, a $300-dollar Braccialini car-shaped bag was featured in the 57th Annual

Grammy awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. The bag was in the gift basket that all the nominees, presenters, and performers received.

Braccialini today

Today, the company is led by her three sons – Riccardo, Massimo, and Lorenzo who have taken on three different roles in the company. Massimo is the style director, Riccardo the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

, and Lorenzo the

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

and communication director. The creative team of designers led by Carla and her son Massimo creates handbags and

accessories Accessory may refer to: * Accessory (legal term), a person who assists a criminal In anatomy * Accessory bone * Accessory muscle * Accessory nucleus, in anatomy, a cranial nerve nucleus * Accessory nerve In arts and entertainment * Accessory ...

. In October 2012 Braccialini announced up to 77 layoffs of 220 employees total but in 2013, after an agreement with the unions, 25 people will leave the Company, due to the externalization of logistics.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.Braccialini.com Companies based in Florence Italian companies established in 1954 Clothing brands of Italy Clothing companies established in 1954 High fashion brands Leather manufacturers Luxury brands Shoe companies of Italy Fashion accessory brands Bags (fashion)