How Your Handbag
Is Created
Some of you know me better than I know myself and so it's always been abundantly clear that I love to go behind the scenes and explore the creativity and innovation behind the things we love. So when I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was finally going to get the opportunity to head to Florence and visit the home of Bvlgari handbags, so many of you knew just how excited I would be, without me even sharing!
Whether it's beauty, technology or fashion, the behind the scenes views of the things that bring our lives so much sunshine bring me an enormous amount of joy. I love to know all of the details and steps that bring the things we cherish and use often to life and not only that, it inevitably allows me to appreciate the finer details too.
So while in Florence and during filming a little something you may have already spotted in collaboration with Grazia (if not you can click here to watch!) I took the opportunity to capture some pictures for the blog too. It was all too interesting and enthralling not to!
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I have to say that stepping into the Bvlgari factory was such a wow experience that more often than not I was finding it hard to put into words how excited and privileged I felt to be seeing behind the scenes of how these luxury pieces come to life. Getting to see the intricate care and attention that's given equally to each piece that is crafted in the factory felt like taking an intimate peek at something not many get the opportunity to lay eyes on!
The first thing that struck me was what a warm and relaxed atmosphere there was. I has falsely assumed that any factory setting would feel quite impersonal, no matter the size, with production lines and people milling about in formation. Actually what I pleasantly discovered was that each and every person was warm, welcoming, relaxed and quite clearly took immense care and concentration in their work. All these skilled people, working seamlessly together, to craft luxury handbags that I always thought were special, but now I knew they were.
Each and every tiny piece of a fashionable puzzle, crafted with such skill and talent. From the multiple mouldings of the Serpenti heads and careful placement of each special gemstone, to the beautifully tiny Serpenti rivets and hand painted seams that finish each creation and to the delicate thinning of each panel of leather that creates your perfectly structured bag. Immaculate!
I loved moving from station to station, craftsperson to craftsperson, step to step to see how the bags are brought from that first iteration of design choice, all the way through to the final assembled beauty, ready to be cherished by a fashion lover. To see the quiet attention and the time taken to really ensure each small piece of every sumptuous creation is perfected by hand, before being quality checked with the last special finishing touches.
It was spectacular to feel part of the experience even just for a short while that day in Florence. As a Bvlgari ambassador I'm not only someone that adores the pieces you see me being lucky enough to style and discover, but I'm someone that truly admires the team dedicated to creating those stunning pieces and the craftsmanship behind the scenes too. It felt so special after almost 18 months as an ambassador and part of the extended family for so many more years, to finally step foot through the workshop doors.
If you want to see the video footage we captured and even more behind the scenes of our time in Florence with the team, you can head to our vlog here to discover even more of what our visit was like.
A huge thank you the wonderful team at Bvlgari for this truly incredible opportunity. I feel so honoured to be your ambassador and being able to step behind the scenes of such luxurious pieces being crafted, feels like a once in a lifetime experience.
So grateful to you all x
