SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

1 5 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I it. For instance, we have a few clients who bring their bags back and have them repaired because they have such good memories with their Valextra bag that they do not want to change it. At the same time, as a luxury brand, our behaviour regarding the product, shop spaces and communication, transmit the Milanese minimalistic legacy which can be defined as engineering beauty. As an example, you will never see a logo on one of our bags, because we put it inside in a very discreet way. We launch a product when we think it’s the right time to present a new one, but we don’t work on seasons. And in terms of design, just think that even today, our best sellers are the bags we launched in the ‘50s, because they still combine design and functionality. And this relationship with design still continues today. in fact, we still love and admire the architectural world and we work with the best architects around the world both to enhance this incredible relationship with the brand and secondly, to revamp our Milanese palazzo shop, located on the ground floor, which changes look every year. We hired Maurizio Gamper, Japanese archistar Kengo Kuma who created a modern forest inside our shop and now John Pawson who has revamped our store so that it looks like a church, a place where you can admire our bags. Simply AbuDhabi: How do you project Valextra’s future? Sara Ferrero: in the future, besides the reopening of our Milan store, we will also introduce two major collaborations—i can’t tell you more—and we will launch a new trolley and a new pair of sneakers. of course, we will also concentrate on new openings and we are planning to open quite soon in the Middle East. but we have to define a few things before making the big announcement. Simply Abu Dhabi: So you are planning to open in Dubai in the upcoming months/year. What are the strengths of Valextra that you think canmake the brand successful in our region? Sara Ferrero: Well you know, we already have a lot of Middle Eastern customers. They are curious, and they travel around the world, so they discovered us quite some time ago. They are bold enough to try something different, and of course, they love precious skins like crocodile which we use in our bags. What they love is the fact that our bags are simple yet rigorously styled. And nowwe have generations of families from the Middle East that come to our stores, especially the one in London, to purchase our bags. And, of course, they love custom-made pieces. Simply AbuDhabi: How can I have amade-to-order bag by Valextra? How can I get one and how long does it take to havemy bag from start to finish? Sara Ferrero: it’s very simple, once you enter the store, you can ask for the customisation of a bag. but most of the time, there are already existing designs and we allow the customer to personalise it with whatever material and colour from our 35 existing colours he chooses. it will then take from three to six months to see your bag. We do not usually create a bag from scratch, because the idea of the client generally doesn’t work because of technical issues, but it can be done. For instance, we have created personalised trunks for travel or trunks for yachts. We are able to recreate our customer’s dream.