Olga Berluti’s visionary drive in the early 2000s led the Maison to develop a language of leather rooted in its fascinating markings – gashes, tattoos, and scarring, whose raw beauty we seek to bring out by means of the leather.
Olga Berluti’s visionary drive in the early 2000s led the Maison to develop a language of leather rooted in its fascinating markings – gashes, tattoos, and scarring, whose raw beauty we seek to bring out by means of the leather.
Just like when you mark human skin, a tattoo on leather transports this material into another dimension. Pigments are embedded into the grain of Venezia leather with a tattooing machine to create an indelible design. Inconspicuous or eye-catching, in black and white or colour, the motif can be chosen from our rich catalogue (including animals, stars, and symbols), or the client can dream up their own unique design for our artists to execute. Each stroke becomes the trace of an intimate secret, engraved forever in the skin of the leather.
As well as tattooing, there are other techniques that explore leather like a living body: deep scarifications resembling healed wounds, novel piercings studding the leather, burn marks that leave a distinctive imprint on its grain… These are just some of the ways Berluti pushes the boundaries of traditional leathercraft.
These pieces are made exclusively to order and take three to four months to complete, the time necessary for the material to undergo its transformation. This sensitive language can be applied to footwear, bags, accessories and cases. Whether you request a faithful old German shepherd tattooed onto a suitcase, a mesmerizing sky etched on a bag, or some other deeply personal design, the artist will invest your piece with profound sentimental value so it stands outside of time.