The luxury handbag label regarded as “the Milanese secret”

From humble beginnings to iconic luxury brand, the story of Serapian could be straight from the pages of a great novel or one of the classic movies in which its bags have appeared. Founded by Armenian craftsman Stefano Serapian, the brand’s elegant bags became a mainstay in the wardrobes of notable actresses and socialites of Hollywood’s golden age, including Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis, who loved them so much, they commissioned bespoke pieces.

Stefano’s tale of entrepreneurship begins in the early 1920s, when he arrived in Italy after fleeing conflict in his home country of Armenia. Settling first in Venice and then in Milan, Stefano undertook different manual jobs, including a stint working with two sisters who stitched leather shoes. As he honed his craft and steadily acquired knowledge, Stefano began designing and crafting his own luxury leather goods, which he would sell while cycling around Milan. By the 1930s, he was traveling around Lombardy seeking customers, and in 1945 he opened his first Milanese atelier.

As the desire for Made in Italy pieces grew among the international jet set, Serapian caught the attention of the Hollywood A-list. Notably, Frank Sinatra owned a Serapian business case, while in the 1966 movie How to Steal a Million, Audrey Hepburn carried a small white Serapian trapezium leather bag. To this day, Serapian’s philosophy of passion and craftsmanship continues to attract a discerning clientele. While the design team revisits the archives of the founder to maintain the traditional heritage of the brand, it also instils a fresh approach, and all of its creations are still made in Italy, using only the best materials.

The bestseller of the maison is the ‘Secret’ bag – a light, spacious tote and a longstanding symbol of Serapian, which reflects the brand’s exclusive nature and design DNA. One customer asked to add a secret pocket to her personalized Serapian bag and it became history, even earning the brand the nickname of il Segreto Milanese (the Milanese secret). For fall/winter ’20, the ‘Secret’ bag gets an update with a more elongated, vertical shape, making it deeper than the original design. Rendered in the brand’s signature handwoven ‘Mosaico’ leather, it offers the ultimate balance between legacy and modernity. Fans of the original ‘Secret’ will also be drawn to this season’s smaller tote version with its black and white degrade pattern, elegantly veering from light to dark for a striking optical effect.

Elsewhere in the collection, the ‘Diamante’ shoulder bag is a modern yet timeless shape that will work effortlessly from sunup to nightfall. Inspired by an archival design from the 1970s, the ‘Diamante’ is a statement classic named after the precious gem for its structured shape and refined gold-toned hardware that gleams delicately against the rich burgundy and rose color palette. The perfect mix of modern elegance, infused with a delicate ’70s undercurrent.