Celebrating International Handbag Day

This International Handbag Day, Cafuné celebrates the art of Italian leather. 

Giancarlo Tentella’s tannery crafts living, breathing leather that grows softer and more unique with time. Queenie designs handbags that tell a story - blending timeless elegance with everyday confidence.

Interview with Queenie

Can you describe the emotional connection you hope to create between a woman and her Cafuné handbag?
I believe behind every woman’s handbag, there is a story and deep connection within. I want our customers to have this emotional connection with their Cafuné bags. A piece that she reaches for every day - not just because it looks nice, but because she feels comfortable and confident when using it. Overtime, the leather softens and shapes to her use. It becomes part of her daily life and unique to her. That is the kind of connection we are designing for.

When you design a handbag, how important is the story behind the leather and its craftsmanship to you?
It is important for me to understand the story behind the leather and how it is made, it influences the way we think of the design and how we construct the bag. With this knowledge, I can translate and showcase the beauty of leather to customers through our handbags.

What emotions do you want your customers to feel when they carry a Cafuné handbag made from this leather?
Confidence, comfort, and care. We want our bags to feel like a thoughtful part of someone’s wardrobe — something they trust and enjoy carrying. If it makes them feel a little more put together or a little more themselves, then we’ve done our job.

How does the collaboration with a traditional tannery like Giancarlo’s deepen your appreciation for the material and the final product?
As a young contemporary brand, it’s an honour to work with a tannery with such deep knowledge, craft and history. Working with Giancarlo and his team really reminds us what craftsmanship means. They take such pride in every step — from choosing hides to finishing the leather — and that inspires us to hold ourselves to the same standard. We’ve given great materials to work with, an opportunity to unleash the design potential and make our vision come true. It also gives us confidence that we’re building something with real value behind it.

Interview with Giancarlo

What does leather mean to your life?
To me, leather is almost everything. After I graduated from middle school, my father told me that I had to choose a direction and focus on what I wanted to do in the future. So, I began my adventure in the leather and tanning industry. Fifty years have passed, and I am still here today. It is undoubtedly an indispensable part of my life. For me, my family comes first, and leather comes second.

What inspires you to carry on this family business related to leather?
Because we have fallen in love with our work. All of my colleagues are full of passion for this job. Every day, we strive to improve our work.

Times are changing very quickly, and we work hard to constantly adapt to all kinds of changes. I want to emphasise that the most important thing is to strive for the best, to believe in it, and to love it, because this work is the foundation of our livelihood.

Can you use three words to describe the leather you produce?
Natural, Sustainable, and Pioneering. This is the belief we wake up with every day, and it's the core value of our work. Nowadays, sustainability and traceability have become more and more important. We take every aspect involving the environment very seriously.

We want people to understand what "tanning leather" means - if left untreated, hides would rot and cause great damage to the environment. Our dream is that the objects made from our leather - bags, shoes, and so on - can all achieve the highest level of quality.

Can you tell us about the history of your tannery, and how it has evolved since founded?
Yes. This tannery was founded in November 1971. We mainly focus on leather goods, and now about 80% of our production serves the leather goods industry. We are always conducting research and development, as I mentioned earlier, because the world is developing so quickly, and we must adapt to trends, new fashions, new brands, and even the new demands constantly being made by established brands.

What are the challenges tanneries are facing today? And how do collaborations Cafuné help in perserving craftsmanship?
The challenges are indeed significant. Today's world is very complex, and everything is becoming "flat." What do I mean by "flat"? I mean that the market is finding it increasingly difficult to see the differences in craftsmanship, artistry, and quality. We are delighted to collaborate with Cafuné to create something different and to preserve craftsmanship. In Italy, "craftsmanship" has always been our core strength. It's truly not easy to preserve this craft within an industrialised system. It takes a long time, a great deal of passion, and resilience. We must strive to preserve our roots and maintain a sense of creativity to the consumers.

How do you emphasize the importance of quality and craftsmanship to your customers?
We are always committed to using natural materials and avoiding materials that feel too artificial. Everything should be as natural as possible. A well-made object never ages. We make things that are both beautiful and high-quality, polishing them with our hands, our experience, and our love for the material. Leather is a natural material; you could even say it never "dies"—it remains "alive." This is the philosophy we hope to share with Cafuné: naturalness, transparency, softness, and what we understand as the "spirit of craftsmanship."