In honour of its 90th anniversary, Italian accessories label Furla has created a collection that celebrates not just its own heritage, but champions nine decades of music. Its signature 'Metropolis' bag shape, which features a gold chain strap and a hardware buckle, has been crafted with nine different flaps, each one adorned with markings of a musical genre, from the '1930s Jazz', complete with tortoiseshell PVC and ivory mink fur trim, to the '1970s Disco' design, featuring mirrored disco-ball inspired details.
It’s no surprise that the brand is in the mood to dance. At the end of 2016, Furla added flagships on 5th Avenue in New York and London’s Brompton Road to its boutique roster, now totaling 444 stores worldwide. Earlier this month, it also announced a 24.5 per cent growth in annual turnover.
‘It’s an international language,’ explains Fabio Fusi, Furla’s creative director, of the music-inspired anniversary collection, which launched in February at Milan Fashion Week. ‘Everybody gets emotionally moved by it.’ Universal appeal is something that Giovanna Furlanetto, Furla's president and daughter of its founders Aldo and Margherita Furlanetto, credits with Furla’s success. ‘I think the chemistry is about the "made in Italy" premium product and the great value for money,’ she explains.
‘There is a great alchemy in the product between proportion, design and attention to detail,’ Fusi agrees. This attention also appears in Furla’s blend of heritage with a more personal touch. Its S/S 2017 menswear collection features a pixellated teddy print, taken from the first bear design in Furla’s archive. Nods to history are seen in offset designs specific to a city, like the London Bridge or St Basil’s Cathedral print styles of Furla’s 'Metropolis' bags, created to mark the opening of its flagships. ‘The Russian style sold out in days,’ Fusi says. ‘It has become almost like a lucky charm.’
Furla's 90th anniversary collection was debuted at Milan Fashion Week in February
Not just looking to music, Furla’s interest in the art world also allows the brand to look to the future. The Furla Art Award, created to support emerging artists, ran from 2000–2015; and in September this year, the Fondazione Furla begin its new partnership with Milan's Museo del Novecento. Working under the artistic direction of Peep-Hole, Furla plan to run a series of events that will bolster the contemporary Italian art scene. ‘It’s a way for the company to allow people who are interested in art to access these expressions. It’s a way to support cultural evolution, new energy and to look into the future,’ Mrs Furlanetto explains. It sounds like music to our ears.
The collection includes its signature 'Metropolis' model, customised with bag flaps inspired by musical decades, from the 1920s to the 2000s
Furla unveiled the collection at Milan Fashion Week in February
Creative director Fabio Fusi credits Furla's global success to its attention to detail
Styles in the collection include a 1920s inspired 'Charleston' bag, adorned with crystal embellishments
Other musical decades referenced include 1930s jazz and 1940s swing, with styles adorned with tortoiseshell PVC, mink fur, leather ruffles and a bow
Information
For more information, visit the Furla website
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