I am advised to be very careful in choosing 'Made in Italy' leather as the portion that's really made in Italy could be indifferential with imported goods from other countries.
Any recommendation for a good factory leather shop? I assume Florence is the place for leather shop not Milan. Would there still be a 'real' made in Italy leather jacket cost less than EUR200?
Would there still be a 'real' made in Italy leather jacket cost less than EUR200?
Unlikely. Genuine 'made in Italy' goods are still expensive even if you are buying them in Italy.
Be a bit careful if buying from street markets. A few poly vinyl chlorides have been killed and their hides tanned to make some leather goods.
Leather factories are mostly in the Arno Valley in the Empoli - Santa Croce Area, but they are all over that part of Tuscany. Most companies are Chinese owned or at least staffed by Chinese workers. The city of Prato has now the highest concentration of Chinese immigrants in Europe. So made in Italy means made in Italy by Chinese laborers. As long as it’s genuine leather and you like the design who cares who makes it and where?
In Florence, I can recommend Massimo Leather on Borgo La Noce, near the central market. His leather goods are all made locally using Italian leather. I have a jacket and a satchel from his store, and they still look almost new after a few years of wear.
Any jacket for under €200 is unlikely to be leather. Just because it's made locally (in Italy) doesn't mean it will be cheaper than you can find at home.
Roberto de Firenze
the irony of the world nowadays
Frank
Thanks so much for the recommendation. I check their website and they have online shops with some of their items on display. will give them a visit :)
I second Frank's recommendation. My daughter and I bought leather coats at Massimo's last March. Very well made (in Italy), fit perfectly, and decently priced.
There are a couple shops on Borgo Santi Apostoli north of Ponte Vecchio where bags and purses are locally made. I picked one up after previewing things at the other shops where the salespeople like to point out the stamp showing everything is "made in their own factory". All their bags look the same, as though they were all made in the same factory and stamped just for the store, but I'm sure that's just coincidence. (Not really). The bags are probably fine as I'm sure the immigrant factory workers are good at what they do, but not as unique. But they are half the price so does your budget allow for being a bit self-righteous?
