Saint Laurent inaugurates an XXL leather goods workshop in Italy
In Scandicci, Tuscany, the French fashion house recently opened a “centre of excellence”, which is intended to become a leather goods workshop. Five hundred employees are already working there.
A XXL leather goods workshop and specialised school
This is a crucial phase in the Saint Laurent brand’s evolution. The CEO and president named Francesca Bellettini officially opened the new leather goods workshop in Scandicci, Italy, on Friday, December 15. The Kering Group label revealed that more than 28,700 square meters are devoted to modeling, prototyping, material and technique research, production, and warehousing of bags, suitcases, and all other leather goods. Large clients’ custom items will also be made in this impressive structure.
“Bringing together the development of accessories and leather goods, the workshop will be a place for sharing expertise, generating ideas and experimenting. L’Atelier Maroquinerie will help us realise our ambition to develop the most desirable leather goods and accessories in the world”- boasted the CEO in a press release
There are currently 500 expert technicians and craftsmen working at this center of excellence. Two hundred new hires are anticipated by the brand between now and 2025.
The new workshop is “a center of excellence for repairs and after-sale support,” according to Saint Laurent. In order to guarantee quality and service consistency globally, the atelier will train the employees of [Saint Laurent’s] global repair centers in addition to offering product repair and refresh services to the company’s European clients.
The Palazzo delle Finanze, a former public building that was left unfinished and abandoned, is home to Saint Laurent’s leather goods workshop. The building was never used. Constructed in the early 1990s, the reinforced concrete structure resembled a bunker and was designated for the region’s fiscal administration. It is currently under the ownership of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the state-run investment bank in Italy, through its CDP Real Asset SGR. A total of more than €30 million is being invested in its complete regeneration. The costs and duration of the lease were not disclosed by CDP when it announced in 2020 that Saint Laurent had secured a rental agreement for the refurbished building.
The building, which is situated in Scandicci, in the center of Tuscany, was renovated for 28.5 million euros by the Italian real estate company CDP Real Asset. Currently, Saint Laurent is renting it for €2 million a year for a 15-year term with a potential 27-year extension and a buyout option.
Seventy percent of Saint Laurent’s sales come from leather goods, as noted by Francesca Bellettini in the press release. The French brand had to make a name for itself in this area, which is the birthplace of the luxury leather goods sector and is already home to factories for brands like Dior, Gucci, Prada, and Montblanc.
Scandicci and the surrounding area have been experiencing tremendous growth in recent years as high-end fashion houses expand their factories and purchase artisan workshops in order to strengthen their control over the supply chain, with sales of leather goods surpassing the global luxury market.
Saint Laurent leather goods’ examples:
Conclusion: Scandicci, in Tuscany, will be the new home of Saint Laurent’s atelier, dedicated to leather goods workshop and teaching.
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