Building growth by focusing on core values

If there is one brand of excellence in Milan it is definitely Valextraluxury bag company whose name says a lot about Milan – tourism and culture.

The name Valextra is a combination of SuitcaseItalian for luggage and accessories, which means outstanding quality, which is what Valextra has stood for for the past 85 years.

Founded in 1937 by Giovanni Fontana in Piazza San Babila, Milan’s important commercial center, Valextra has drifted somewhat in recent years, but a visit to its showcase in the city last month, has caught the brand’s attention and is poised to grow rapidly.

It’s strategically important – focusing on DNA, modernizing the archives and telling stories at haut niveau. As can be seen in recent versions of their Iside bag, a super precise handbag presented in gorgeous striped black and white leather and finished with up-to-date hardware.

“Features have always been very important at Valextra. That’s why the bag is opened on the side to show off the texture and quality of the finish. It is Valextra’s signature and how connoisseurs recognize Valextra,” explains CEO Xavier Rougeaux.

All Valextra bags are decorated with as black lacquer as possible to highlight their unique quality. It can also be seen in the new Milanese handbag, made of innovative Valextra leather that gives the multi-dimensional feel of the brand’s signature Millepunte calf leather. Or most obviously, the sleek Nolo crossbody bag, with a hidden strap inside.

“It is important to create rights vestiaire. Rougeaux, who was appointed CEO in January 2021, added: “A bag from the archives from the 1960s, but has been updated to be more functional for tdoay.

To this day, each Valextra bag is numbered by the artisan who made it, ensuring excellent customer service. “It is very important that we continue that tradition. One reason we brought the factory back,” the CEO noted.

In fact, Valextra has moved its former rural factory, based in the countryside outside Bergamo, to Rho, the last stop on Milan’s main metro line and the site of the giant Fiera Milano. Giant, the most prestigious industrial design salon in the world.

“We wondered how, do you collect young artisans and train them and then go back to Milano? How do we protect all the different skills. So we created a space where all of this happens in Rho, just 30 minutes from the center of Milano. We have also established the new Valextra Academy, which cooperates with Italian fashion schools to enroll students who want to become artisans. Rougeaux emphasizes: Create a transformation so that these skills are not lost.

Today, there are 30 employees in Valextra’s central Milan offices and 35 at the factory.

“Our factory is in the pre-industrial stage – where prototypes, samples and prototypes are produced, plus small, limited production scale,” he notes. Although most of the actual production is handled by several laboratories spread across Tuscany, Le Marche, Vincenzo and Venice.

Worldwide, Valextra boasts 33 stores, many in Japan, “a huge and booming market. China is a challenge. And we recently opened two stores in Korea and one in Taipei, Taiwan. Now, we are looking more to the West. And wanted to strengthen our presence in both Paris and London,” explains Rougeaux, who before Valextra was CEO of Smythson in London, and held senior positions at Loro Piana and Sergio Rossi.

The original Valextra gained international fame by producing very expensive handbags in exotic leather such as crocodile and hippo skin. And it has always been in the spotlight for its logo-free approach, so Valextra bags have been carried by the likes of Gianni Agnelli, Jackie Onassis, Sharon Rock and Reese Witherspoon.

Historically, Valextra has always tightened its grip on wholesale – currently selling in less than 40 stores, albeit in the high end of the market – such as Bergdorf Goodman, Antonia in Milan and far fetch and Luisa Via Roma online.

“Our brand needs storytelling, as Valextra requires emotion and expression to nurture a relationship with the end customer,” says Rougeaux.

The house does not release figures, but is understood to have annual sales of around 60 million euros, with double-digit growth expected this year. Valextra is controlled by New Capital, a French luxury investment company also controls kingrnetand 30% stake in Victoria Beckham. While the president of the UK fashion house, Ralph Toledanoalso a member of the board of directors of Valextra.

The Valextra brand’s ultra-special leather products are elegantly displayed inside its flagship store on Via Manzoni. Its headquarters are upstairs in the same stone-cut palace, just 50 meters from La Scala. The products – including the original white calfskin suitcases dreamed up by Fontana’s founder more than half a century ago – are flanked by modern creations, all on display alongside pottery, vases, and vases. flowers and fine glass by Italian masters such as Gio Ponti. The brand’s next big step: an iconic shaped wheeled case.

Valextra has always been noted for its beautiful calfskin and special grains of exceptionally good color. One of the special features of Valextra is that all of its colors are made specifically for the brand – nothing but the price. All created by our own design team and manufactured by Italian tanneries exclusively for the brand.

“Our founder is passionate about his leather selection and he wants our craftsmen to create everything perfectly. Hence the precision of the lacquer. Valextra is about technical beauty. It is the design heritage of Milanese,” enthused the French-born CEO.