Italian leather line Valextra brings understated luxury to NYC
By David Kaufman
Of all the accessories brands promising discreet luxury, few deliver quite like Valextra.
The iconic Milanese label has perfected the art of low-key elegance offering bags, cases and luggage that convey sophistication and status while never resorting to bougieness or bling.
No wonder timeless icons like Grace Kelly and Jackie O made Valextra a go-to favorite back in the jet-set era.
Now the 77-year-old firm which has long been available at Barneys is making its most strident stab at the American market yet with the debut of its first-ever US store next week.
The boutique set at 833 Madison Ave., between 69th and 70th streets is the brainchild of Italian architect Marco Costanzi, whos created singular shops and showrooms for the likes of
Fendi and Elie Saab.
Valextras Manhattan outpost anchors the companys global expansion plans, which began last year with a Singapore shop and extend to a Hong Kong flagship debuting in 2015, also designed by Costanzi.
Set in an elegant townhouse and sized at a snug 1,200 square feet, Valextras bijoux-like surroundings perfectly capture the brands history and aesthetic.
Material such as leather, brass and Ceppo di Gré stone all evoke Milanese architecture at its grandest.
The design was devised to appeal to a US and global customer who enjoys a private sense of luxury and is more inclined to wear a brand that expresses its luxurious appeal via small details rather than blaring logos, says Marco Scarpella, executive director of Valextra.
While Valextra products may be proudly logo-free, that does not mean theyre wholly without key signifiers.
Barely there Vs, for instance, may be embedded within a pieces design scheme, like the new womens Weekend Hobo bag, which has a discreet V shaped into the top. For fall, Valextra features womens clutches and bags accented by signature lacquered piping applied by hand in contrasting colors.
As for men, the winter Valextras Sherlock Holmes messenger bag features an ultra-discreet lock, first patented in 1953.
For spring, the classic brand looks toward technology, with sharkskin mens cases embedded with pouches for USB keys and phone chargers.
Theyre subtle design touches only visible to the finest-eyed consumers connoisseurs of style, Scarpella says, for whom Valextra is like a private members club.
It's on Madison Ave. in New York (between 69th and 70th).
What Valextra bags do you own?
