Gherardini

The history of Gherardini begins in 1885 in Florence, where 24-year-old Garibaldo Gherardini opened the brand's first leather workshop. He made pieces for a select clientele and combined traditional Florentine techniques with a modern outlook.

From pen case to clutch

In the early twentieth century Gherardini expanded its range. Alongside pen cases, frames, cigarette cases and minaudières came envelope bags and clutches with jewelled clasps, made of brocade, satin and pleated leather. In that period the first own store also opened in Florence, within walking distance of the historic centre.

The monogram and the catwalk

After the Second World War, the second generation of Gherardini took over. The brand then introduced its monogram: a geometric reinterpretation of the G. In the sixties Gherardini showed its collections on the catwalk of the Sala Bianca in Palazzo Pitti.

Softy and the total look

• In the seventies Gherardini expanded into ready-to-wear, scarves and eyewear.
• For a more mobile lifestyle, the house developed Softy together with Italian engineers, a light, durable fabric as an alternative to traditional leather.
• Over the years that patented fabric evolved into Ghe Softy HHR, valued for its strength, flexibility and resistance to wear.

According to the brand, the monogrammed suitcases travelled with Marcello Mastroianni and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, among others. Today the collection centres on bags and small leather goods with a Florentine background.