I do have a very good reason for why you have not heard from me since November. In December I started my own company, Leather Lab Inc. Leather Lab is a bespoke leather research and development laboratorio specializing in trends in leathers and components. I source and develop leathers to clients' specifications, and construct patterns and prototypes for handbags and accessories from scratch.
I have been very busy in the past few months, working diligently on leather research and making patterns and samples for my U.S. clients. I just shipped all of my samples for NY fashion week. I know, my life just got even more exciting! Unfortunately I will not be able to share images of the samples of the handbags that have been keeping me busy lately as the designs belong to my clients, so I guess we will just have to wait until they get some press and then you will hear all about them.
I am also excited to announce that some of my hand-stitched bags are now on sale at Ceri Vintage in Firenze. I made an extra simple tote with the canvas handles (black and white) that you saw in an earlier post, and I am proud to say that the bag sold the day he put it in the store. The first two canvas bags (including the one pictured above) sold in 48 hours so I will be very busy producing more as the response was overwhelmingly positive. I need to give my hands a rest, as hand stitching is quite tiring and hard on the hands, and one of my samples required over 10 hours of hand whip-stitching.
My leather research is about to reach new heights. I am collaborating with a Florentine shoe artisan who makes custom men's shoes to create a women's collection. Next week I am visiting the last manufacturer to choose the styles which will be the base of our designs. He is going to work on all of the technical details, and I am going to concentrate on the materials and design. I will keep you all posted as this exciting chapter unfolds. Never a dull moment.
I will take this opportunity to fill you in on what you missed in Firenze during my three month hiatus. In December while I was enjoying the snow in New York, there was a beautiful snowfall here. I woke up to many text messages from friends here with images of the city under a white blanket of fresh snow, and it was the first time that many Florentines had seen anything like it.
Due to excessive rainfall in the end of December and the beginning of January, the Arno reached new heights. The white caps resembled the Atlantic Ocean, and it was quite a spectacle.
Other than that, life is back to normal here in Firenze. The Arno has returned to its normal height. It is still very cold and humid and is actually snowing here today. I hope to get out to the mountains this weekend to take advantage of the recent snowfall but am also anxiously awaiting the springtime. I moved into a new apartment in a new area near Santo Spirito and the Palazzo Pitti and much prefer it to my old area, Santa Croce, but miss the market terribly.
So there you have it... Am I forgiven?
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