Monday,
March 24, 2008
"Ibiz"
- From Laborer Lunch Bag to Chic Hand Bag
The
ANNOTICO Report
There
was a time when
That was part of
Interestingly
enough, Ibiz was founded by Fulvio and Simonetta Nepi as a part time
hobby when they were college students in 1972, making what were the equivalent
of laborer's lunch bags that turned out to be popular satchels for young
trekking foreigners, who couldn't resist a Nepi original for 11,000 lire - about $10.
Elisa, the daughter elevated the "Ibiz"
brand by designing classic womens hand bags in
brilliant hues, and the world started to take notice.
LETTER FROM
ChicagoTribune
Tribune correspondent Christine Spolar is based in
March 24, 2008
ROME- Elisa Nepi knows, with
every stitch and soft-leather skin she touches, that she and her family are
holding tight to a fast-disappearing art.
She and her father are among the few in this city who still hold the key to a
family-run studio for leather craft. Every day, the two sit, with hammer or
needle in hand, and pound out a living.
"There was a time when
"That was part of
The store at Via dei Chiavari
39, near the famed fruit-and-flower market of Campo dei
Fiori, was born before Nepi
was. Her parents, Fulvio and Simonetta, were college
students in 1972, landing back home in
Within a few months, the young couple realized that their skill could be much
more than a hobby.
Fulvio, now 57, spent his time working the natural rawhide leathers wildly
popular in the 1970s and then selling them on the street. He made his mark
stitching what were essentially sturdy lunch pails for Italian laborers, bags
that turned out to be popular satchels for young foreigners. Thousands of
Americans who were trekking through
The Nepis rented the one storefront and eventually
bought the slightly larger one next door. Their store, named Ibiz, evolved as something akin to an extra living room for
the Nepis' two children, and a place where neighbors
came to chat and passersby could buy an authentic if somewhat predictable
leather bag.
Until the day their daughter Elisa did something totally unpredictable. She
failed her university entrance exam.
Suddenly, the young woman who had expected to study physical therapy"she liked to work with her hands" had
lots of time on her hands. She turned to Ibiz with
new purpose. She learned how to tramp the pedals of the store's old sewing
machine and master the finer points of stitch. (No simple task there: The
50-year-old machine was once owned by a costume-maker who stitched sandals and
belts for the movie "Ben-Hur.") She
embarked on leather-buying trips with her father, who knew the best tanneries
in
Nepi soon realized she loved the work, but she also
wondered whether she and the store had a future with leather craft.
Six years ago, designer bags were all that Italian women wanted. Even sales
among young tourists were in decline. Nepi made a
deal with her parents: She would take over the store and take on the challenge
of trying to survive as a Roman artisan.
The younger Nepi wandered the fashion streets of
Nepi followed her father's first idea: Good leather
would always sell. But she had a fresh and keener eye for what makes a
high-quality Italian borsa. Supple skins only from
The storefront expanded into chairs " made-to-order
pieces for the discerning buyer" even as handbags held priority. Belts,
wallets and key chains were salvaged from handbag remainders. Durable cotton
thread, nothing else, bound all.
"Every morning, I come in and I check the bags. I think: When people enter
the store, what they see is mine," Nepi said.
What they also see is a remarkable display of workmanship. In a city of
over-the-top price tags, Ibiz has found a way to
produce handbags in brilliant hues" yellow is a color of this summer"
and of notable quality and value.
Others have noti ced. Ibiz now is part of
the Japanese shoppers' circuit and listed in top tourist guides. This year, Ibiz rates a mention by some tony American guides,
including the discerning Context Travel. Nepi is
learning to gauge how and when shoppers buy. The Japanese can take two hours to
choose a bag. Americans "far fewer in number because of the falling U.S.
dollar and a disastrous exchange rate" take about 15 minutes.
When asked how long she expects the good times to last, Nepi
shrugs. She can only vouch for the handbags - and those, she bets, will be
around for another generation.
"Twenty-five years, at least," Nepi said.
"That's when the cotton stitch might go. The leather should last."
Tribune correspondent Christine Spolar is based in
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