This Staple Summer Bag Wasn’t Designed by a Fashion Brand
MILAN — As if competition in the accessory arena weren’t tough enough, Colombian textile company Verdi is adding some spice to it by further leveraging its expertise and expanding its collection of the go-to summer bag style: the mochila bucket design.
The firm — known for its experimentations with natural materials sourced across Latin America such as fique and plantain fibers, organic silk, linen and baby alpaca and metallic threads in textiles and homeware — first turned its attention toward fashion in 2015 following the intuition of Tomás Vera, who cofounded Verdi with his sister Cristina.
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Artisans in Verdi’s workshop in Bogotá started to apply the same hand-knitted skills to reinterpret Colombian ethnic backpacks in timeless designs, marked by intricate pineapple- or seashell-shaped weaves.
Now the firm has expanded the range with the Kaia collection, revisiting the two signature weaving techniques with gradient effects, materials such as pure copper, silver-plated gold and rose gold threads paired with velvet lining, as well as different proportions.
The collection, which also includes mini versions and clutches in the same patterns, retails between 650 euros and 950 euros. Overall, each Verdi handbag takes 10 to 15 days to craft and comes with a price tag spanning from 450 euros up to 990 euros for the Sur bucket design that combines baby alpaca from Peru, copper from Chile, and organic silk from Colombia’s Causa region.
In addition to the brand’s e-commerce, a selection of Verdi products is available online at Cabana as well as at boutiques across Greece, Miami, Peru, Mexico and Italy, including Cathaleia in Capri.
The company’s origins date back to 1995 when Carlos Vera Dieppa, a pioneer in Latin American textile design worked with a local coffee-sack weaver to develop a unique technique that used intertwined local, organic threads to make unusual rugs. Years later he decided to customize his own looms and explore the addition of metal threads to his designs.
After his passing in 2010, his heirs Tomás and Cristina decided to carry on his legacy by reprising the technique and establishing the Verdi studio, dubbed after a crasis of their father’s last names. The company gradually expanded its reach from textiles and rugs to wall coverings, curtains and homeware as well as bespoke art pieces, in addition to fashion accessories.
Verdi, which earlier this year marked its third attendance at Milan’s Salone del Mobile trade show to present its latest collections, was acknowledged as “Artisanal Project of the Year” at the inaugural edition of the Latin American Fashion Awards in November, as reported.
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