Italian handmade bags: the complete guide

Looking for quality handmade bags? Do you want to buy them online? Do you make wonderful handmade bags and would like to sell them? You've come to the right place.

ANDREA BONAMORE
Contributor

Made in Italy handmade bags

We at Ad Hoc Atelier are the first supporters of Made in Italy. Every day our team travels all over Italy in search of the best Italian brands and artisans. Every week we travel thousands of kilometers, we talk to hundreds of people, to allow everyone to find in a few seconds the best of Made in Italy handmade fashion.

When it comes to Made in Italy, we are always on the alert to defend its value and give visibility to the most authentic and interesting realities. We can only say: we love Made in Italy handmade bags.

But what does Made in Italy mean to us? It's not just something written on a label, it's something that goes beyond the simple wording. Made in Italy means unique pieces, means bags made by the skilled hands of artisans, following traditions handed down from father to son. Every day we are enchanted when we discover a new artisan store: increasingly rare to find, but so interesting.

We have seen all kinds of bags and colors, but we can say that the handmade bags Made in Italy are based primarily on two characteristics: absolute quality of materials used and meticulous attention to detail.

Aspects that make unique the handmade bags, distinguishing them from those commonly found in a store. Another aspect that unites all the best handmade bags Made in Italy is the thickness of the people who produce them. We have learned that the personality of the artisans has an inseparable link to the product created. Even without seeing the product first, it is often possible to understand its value just by talking to the producer.

Producing handcrafted bags from scratch, no matter how creative and ingenious you can be, is not for everyone. We've talked to many artisans, but most of them can't create a quality product, why is that?

It is extremely difficult to create a strong identity around your brand, without emulating versions of bags that are already known. You have to choose which type of bags you want to do: handmade leather bags, shoulder bags, handbags, business bags or do you want to offer a wide range of different products?

Moreover, you need to have a great knowledge of materials and manufacturing, because excellence is found in the details. Italian leather is very famous worldwide, but in every case you have to find the perfect supplier. Do you want to use genuine leather, Tuscany soft leather or full-grain leather?

Finally, you must know how to tell the story of your product, avoiding to copy the communication of famous brands. Handmade bags are wonderful precisely because they are unique!

The handmade bags

How are handmade bags created? Our artisans tell us that inspiration can come at any time: you just need to take pen and paper and draw a draft as soon as the stroke of genius comes! In fact, the artisan is always at work, inside and outside the workshop walls.

He or she is a very creative mind, constantly thinking about how to create a new model. But you know that inspiration is like love: it comes when you least expect it. If you have an idea while you're sleeping, get up right now and jot it down. Seize the moment.

The wonder of handcrafted bags lies in their uniqueness, a characteristic that does not belong to the ready-to-wear bag. No handmade handbag can be the same as another, even if the initial design is identical, as well as the materials used. The small defects, if any, become a distinctive sign, making the bag unique and exclusive. Those who choose to wear it recognize its value and would not trade it for any other  bag in the world.

And what about prices? You can not generalize, each craftsman uses different materials, as well as different are the hours to make unique pieces and craftsmanship. In any case, if the bag is handmade, the work requires a lot of time and patience. To make a handmade bag worthy of the name, you really need a lot of hours.

The semi-handmade bags

In this our focus on handcrafted bags, we haven't yet addressed one topic: handcrafted bags made in-house, through semi-industrial machinery. Are these bags industrial? Not necessarily, they can still be handcrafted bags. If you want to find a good place for bags manufacturing, Italian Artisan it's a good choice.

In fact, we are talking about small family-run companies, which with the artisans share the history, the tradition, the passion for the products they create. They are more organized realities, that in order to create more models are helped by machinery. These bags are made almost by hand, many of the steps of production require the help and supervision of man, who is still at the center of the project.

The man is in fact still very important in this type of workmanship, which are very distant from the robotized ones of the big fashion brands. We can therefore talk about slow fashion in this case too, even if the processing is semi-industrial.

How do we consider these bags? Obviously we don't have the absolute truth, but we still want to call them handmade bags, because we believe that the evolution of craftsmanship and handmade should not neglect the use of machinery.

Let's say your bags are very successful and more and more people start asking for them. How do you meet the demand? The only way is to start speeding up the processes, without losing quality and authenticity. Good semi-automated machines might be a good compromise, allowing you to produce more but staying true to your original mission.

We are for the handmade, where the man takes care of all stages of production, with any inaccuracies and errors attached. But since industrial production will never cease, why not embrace these handmade handbags created ethically and sustainably with passion and tradition.

How to sell handmade bags

If you're interested in this chapter, it means that you've either already created wonderful handmade handbags, or you already know who can create them for you. Now comes an equally important step: figuring out how to sell bags.

The first key step is to figure out what your target niche is. What is the style of your designs? What audience are they designed for? Can you imagine the typical person who can buy your handmade bags? Try to answer all these questions, trying to write down all the characteristics of your ideal consumer.

Try to find two or three typical customers: write down the basic characteristics, such as age, interests, tastes and spending power. When you have identified your ideal target, and only then, you can think about how to sell your handmade bags. Then develop a consistent communication with your target audience.

For example, if your audience is of a mature age, avoid language that is too juvenile, it wouldn't be consistent. Instead, you could tell them the story behind the bag, to bring them into your world by telling unique anecdotes.

Where to Sell Handmade Bags 

Have you created handmade bags? Have you figured out your ideal audience? Now what to do, where to display your artwork?

The first thing we recommend is to find people in your network of acquaintances who are in line with your ideal consumers. Show them the bags and collect the first feedback, they are very important! Try to see if there's anything that needs to be perfected, or if they've seen the bags and immediately gone crazy with wonder!

Once your product has been perfected in detail, you can start with distribution. Try contacting stores that sell similar products, asking if they can also display your bag designs, in exchange for a commission on sales. Don't forget to call us at Ad Hoc Atelier too, if your bags are unique, we can't wait to help you out!

Don't forget to create beautiful social pages: Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest should have no secrets for you. Tell your story, create engaging videos and images, and show off the uniqueness of your products. You could then put the direct link to your page on Ad Hoc Atelier, to make it easy for your customers to purchase.

Buy handmade bags

Would you like to shop for amazing handmade bags online? Want to learn about and be inspired by the stories of Italy's finest artisans? Visit us on our online shop and don't forget to tell us which is your favorite bag! If you decide to create unique and handmade models, do not forget to write us: we are more than happy to bring around the world your creations.

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