Talking with Alessia Ariemma and Tiziano Colasante
ALEF Bags are Made In Italy, which means excellence in materials, centuries long best craftsmanships and never compromising on quality. The brand is the result of the partnership between two different depths and solid entrepreneurial activities and to the meeting of Tiziano Colasante and Alessia Auriemma. We talked about it with Alessia Ariemma and Tiziano Colasante, who joined forces to launch Alef.
How did you start the project?
ALEF is a brand born thanks to the meeting between Alessia Ariemma and Tiziano Colasante. Alessia is a marketing expert and trend specialist in the fashion and beauty sector working as a consultant for several Italian and multinational companies. Tiziano has been an entrepreneur in the leather industry for over thirty years with experience in the development and production of bags for major brands, including Balenciaga, Versace, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Bottega Veneta just to name a few. Our meeting took place about 6 years ago thanks to a project developed for a common client. From our creative and professional affinity, we developed the idea of creating a brand completing each other’s skills. The brand was born 4 years ago and it’s expanding. Initially, the line included only women’s styles which has been enriched by a new dedicated collection for men soon after the launch.
How do you develop the men’s and women’s collections?
Each collection is born primarily from market and extensive trends research. The search for shapes and volumes stands for that each individual item is designed for a specific target, which is very transversal. Our woman customer is a woman who still feels a little princess like and loves to play with accessories and colours. A lover of beauty and quality, who wants to give a twist to her look in a personal way. The Alef man could be called an urban classic. He loves the contamination of styles, perhaps wearing nonchalantly a typical large mountain backpack or a duffle bag in the city even if he is not traveling. The research that is carried out ranges from the type of materials, to the colours and details, such as the weaving that has been characterizing both collections lately. The creative part of designing the models and setting up the details for each model is usually done by four hands with Tiziano, who then directs the entire prototyping and production phase with his company Propel srl, which operates in the sector for 30 years and boasts excellence in Italian leather goods manufacturing.
How do you combine the tradition and value of Made in Italy with innovation?
ALEF is a brand that is totally produced in Italy using mainly materials of Italian origin. The manufacture is carried out entirely within the company which has a thirty-year artisan tradition. The brand, together with its creators and Propel srl, promotes the ‘Made in Italy’ with its product by defending its quality and creativity features in the world. At the same time, the company, working primarily for established brands has gradually adapted to the demands of the big players and the needs for speeding up the processes, guaranteeing excellent quality by equipping itself with the latest generation machinery, such as laser cutting machines, for computerized embroidery and prototype development with CAD. Each activity is supervised by its department representatives who guarantee its quality, allowing to combine absolutely manual and artisan activities with activities carried out thanks to new technologies, but without losing the taste for the “handmade”. The logo of the ALEF brand refers precisely to this. In fact, the elements that intersect in the graphic part of the logo are Alfa (tradition), Omega (innovation) and Tao (the constant change to achieve excellence while maintaining the values of tradition).
How is the brand evolving in the near future?
ALEF has currently seen development especially abroad, thanks to its presence in international shops and a corner shop in New York City (Wooster Street). Our communication activity has been influenced by the digital media, so we started developing many collaborations with influencers at an international level. Last year we also created a capsule collection for Chiara Ferragni’s The Blond Salad, which also gave us a lot of visibility. Our goal is to further expand our international network, but also to develop our presence in our country. That’s why for 2020 we will open a flagship store in the heart of Milan’s luxury street Via della Spiga. This is a great step for us that confirms our commitment to implement our local presence, but also with the aim of placing ALEF on the market as a new brand of excellence in Italian leather goods.
Alef is the beginning, symbol of Energy, force, continuity, stability. It is also the center from which the thought form radiates.
Every product is designed, developed and manufactured exclusively in Italy and transmits taste for the new and love for the tradition of craftsmanship combined with the most advanced techniques of leather processing and the use of innovative fabrics and materials.
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