Has anyone ever heard of the brand Aleanto? I'm pretty sure this is their site, Aleanto Collezioni, but I'm not 100% certain. Are they a reputable or real designer brand?
The reason I ask is because I saw a bag made by them in a reputable department store here, which was basically a blatant rip-off of the Foley + Corinna Mid or Mini City Tote. The bag was in metallic gold, in a style almost exactly like the City Tote, so much so that when I first saw it, I thought I'd found a F+C retailer here! Instead, nope, when I opened the bag to check out the designer, I saw the Aleanto name instead. Otherwise, though, it really was almost exactly like the City Tote, down to the zippered pockets inside and outside, the handle style, the shoulder strap for carrying the bag when folded over... The part that really surprised me was that it retailed for about US$400!
I didn't manage to sneak a picture of the bag before it disappeared from the department store, and I can't find it on the Aleanto website above now. Has anyone else heard of this brand, though? Are they a real designer, or do they just copy bags by other designers instead? If the latter, why in the world are their bags so expensive?!
If anyone can sate my curiosity about this, TIA!
The reason I ask is because I saw a bag made by them in a reputable department store here, which was basically a blatant rip-off of the Foley + Corinna Mid or Mini City Tote. The bag was in metallic gold, in a style almost exactly like the City Tote, so much so that when I first saw it, I thought I'd found a F+C retailer here! Instead, nope, when I opened the bag to check out the designer, I saw the Aleanto name instead. Otherwise, though, it really was almost exactly like the City Tote, down to the zippered pockets inside and outside, the handle style, the shoulder strap for carrying the bag when folded over... The part that really surprised me was that it retailed for about US$400!
I didn't manage to sneak a picture of the bag before it disappeared from the department store, and I can't find it on the Aleanto website above now. Has anyone else heard of this brand, though? Are they a real designer, or do they just copy bags by other designers instead? If the latter, why in the world are their bags so expensive?!
If anyone can sate my curiosity about this, TIA!
), on the front of the bag. (Makes it look kind of "woven" or something.) What is that kind of leatherwork called anyway? 
