Cuyana

ELIZABETH SEGRAN 06.30.16 6:00 AM
There's a little factory the countryside of Northern Italy that has been making leather products for three generations. The family who owns the facility has a close relationship with a nearby tannery, so their workers understand the idiosyncrasies of these particular cowhides: they know exactly how sunlight will darken soft vachetta leather, which sections are best used for belts, and which bits are so thin that they should be discarded. In the United States, craftsmanship of this quality is usually associated with pricey luxury brands like Hermès and Celine, where a leather bag can cost upward of $2,000.

But the cofounders of Cuyana, Shilpa Shah and Karla Gallardo, thought there must be a way to make high-quality goods available at lower prices.

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