Wanny Di Filippo, an eclectic Italian designer, has a passion for bison. It is so intense that he owns over 1000 of them as expressed through sculpture, drawings, engravings and other objects. His love is so deep that he named his line of handbags and accessories Il Bisonte. With stores worldwide, I only recently discovered his line via the luxury website, Luisa Via Roma.
With so much interested in structured bags, studded, fringed, over-sized and a plethora of other treatments, it was refreshing to see a line that is uncluttered, pure, chic and supple as many of his bags are done. Oh, there’s an ode to the wild west and his passion for bison, but mostly, you will see clean design, and essential materials of luxurious cowhide, cotton canvas and more.
The natural cowhides are vegetable tanned and develop a patina over time unique to each user and it’s uses. Think Louis Vuitton vachetta handles that become more rich over time. If you are on of the few who dislike aged, uneven, well-loved leather like this, then read no more. For the rest of you who appreciate the beauty of this material, then you’ll be very excited by this line.
While somewhat evocative of the Old West, pictures of Wild Bill Hickock and Annie Oakley popped into my head when I first saw the collection. Taken on their own, there are plenty of simple, chic styles that go way beyond the Wild Wild West. I dearly love the mini cross-body for running errands and the Shoulder Bag is a true workhorse (pardon the pun) for those who need to lug around a laptop or ipad, extra pair of shoes and much more.
While you can order or shop (in store) for bags of various colors and sizes, most of the offerings on Luisa Via Roma are simple tanned cowhide. With easy-on-the-budget pricing, selection ranges from a mini limited edition Simple Bag cross body for $164 (also in white LOVE it!!) to a large Vachetta Shoulder Bag for $795. A limited edition calfskin ponyhair bag with fringing for $301 is made exclusively for Luisa Via Roma. My personal favorite is the simple Calfskin Shoulder Bag for $425 with it’s softly rounded shape.
See these and other selections at LUISAVIAROMA or pop into an store in your area!
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