The Valigeria Franzi was an Italian manufacturer of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs ...

bags and

luggage Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip ...

founded 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 ...

in 1864 by Rocco Franzi. By the early 20th century, it was a supplier to royalty and nobility. It was listed on the

Milan stock exchange Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and intermediaries and supervising disclosures for listed companies.italy24.i ...

from 1905 to 1909. Guccio Gucci worked for the company until he set up

Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragran ...

in 1921. The company mostly used English leather, but also produced some at the Conceria Monzese in

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label= Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Mon ...

, which it owned. This was marketed as "Cuoio Franzi". In 1967 Franzi manufactured a

suitcase A suitcase is a form of luggage. It is a rectangular container with a handle typically used to carry one's clothes and other belongings while traveling. The first suitcases appeared in the late 19th century due to the increased popularity of ma ...

, "Partner", designed by Cini Boeri and made from two half-shells of

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ...

and ABS resin. The company went into

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...

in 1978, and a new company, Oreste Franzi & Co., was set up. It finally closed in 1998.

References

{{reflist, refs= Giuseppe De Luca (2002)
''Le società quotate alla Borsa valori di Milano dal 1861 al 2000: profili storici e titoli azionari''
(in Italian). Milano: Libri Scheiwiller. Colin Naylor (1990)
''Contemporary Designers''
Chicago: St. James Press. {{ISBN, 9780912289694. Andrea Guolo, Amato Santi (2007)
''La borsa... racconta: storia e protagonisti di mezzo secolo di pelletteria''
(in Italian). Milano: F. Angeli. {{ISBN, 9788846485144 Cini Boeri: Suitcase, 1966
New York: The Museum of Modern Art. Accessed May 2017. Guccio Gucci
''Vogue'' Encyclo. Accessed May 2017. Luggage manufacturers Defunct manufacturing companies of Italy Defunct leather manufacturers Manufacturing companies established in 1864 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1998 Companies formerly listed on the Borsa Italiana Italian companies established in 1864 Italian companies disestablished in 1998