As in everything, in leather goods the details make the difference. A well-made bag or shoe cannot overlook attention to detail. Especially when it comes to luxury products, the pearl of Made in Italy, design excellence, high quality leather, and meticulous finishing must essentially be complemented with small metal parts and accessories made with care and respect for the environment. After all, a luxury product is very often a creation destined to last for a long time and needs accessories capable of keeping up in the best possible way.
If leather often becomes more beautiful as it ages and acquires a special appeal, the metal components of bags and footwear must be able to accompany it without fear of defying the passing of time. In order to respond to this need, there are specialised companies in Italy that are inextricably linked to the manufacturers where the bags and footwear that the famous brands have chosen to create in our country come to life. Excellences, first and foremost, in the chemical and galvanic processing of metals, to be able to combine resistance and elegance, aesthetics and durability, which are fundamental to the world of leather goods and footwear.
Objective: the best aesthetic return for every need
The sector of metal accessories created in companies involved in the design, production, welding, and assembly of small parts and decorations is also quite vast. A multifaceted sector that encompasses buckles, chains, eyelets, zippers, snap hooks, fasteners, and studs. The companies’ answers to client needs range from standard formats to the creation of components that are tailor-made in shape, size, and colour. Metals are modelled to give life to geometric shapes, inlays, filigrees, flowers, and animals that are studied, designed, and produced on request; engraved surfaces, in matt or polished, depending on the desired aesthetic result.
Solutions that give character, that can completely change the look of a bag depending on whether they are in gold, bronze, or silver, whether they have a worn or chic mood. The range of materials used in these types of creations is vast: steel, zamak, brass, aluminium and for the most exclusive creations also silver and gold often combined, as in the case of belts, with exotic leathers. Behind these processes is a long research work combined with increasingly innovative processing techniques, even experimenting with new materials. Surfaces can be enamelled and coloured or embellished with rhinestones, crystals, and semi-precious or precious stones.
Beyond metal accessories: crystals, buttons, and semi-finished products
Then there are those who devote their work to the application of metal accessories and decorations on leather or make veritable jewels or decorative costume jewellery: just think of the crystal decorations that make women’s sandals and shoes veritable works of art to wear. But in this universe, there are also finished and semi-finished leather and synthetic materials, which can be decorated with prints, silk-screen prints, and engravings. But there are also the button factories that, in addition to their own collections, make their expertise available to develop ‘made-to-measure’ articles.
These companies pay special attention to environmental sustainability. Almost every company has invested heavily in improving their production processes, both through the introduction of state-of-the-art production technologies and by equipping themselves with disposal and purification plants for the water used in galvanic baths. In short, a path to becoming increasingly eco-friendly that goes as far as energy efficiency. Steps towards growth that go hand in hand with a fundamental ingredient: the preservation of the artisanal and artistic spirit capable of giving every detail that aura of uniqueness that is the very essence of luxury.