Craft
Why vegetable tanning takes six weeks longer, and why it matters
The specific chemistry difference between vegetable and chrome tanning, and how it shows up decades later.
Artisan leather workshop
Every piece stays with the same eighteen craftspeople from hide to finish
Aurelio is a small Florence workshop producing full-grain leather goods for luxury brands and private clients, using vegetable-tanning methods that take weeks longer than industrial tanning for good reason.
Trusted by teams at
- Veretti Orologi
- Archivio Resale
- Maison Ferrand Luggage
- Studio Albrecht Eyewear
- Lune & Laurel Fragrances
- Castelmonte Hotels
What we make
Small-batch leather goods for brands and private clients
We deliberately cap our annual output rather than expand production, because quality control breaks down past a certain scale for hand-finished leather.
Private label manufacturing
Small-batch production for luxury and heritage brands who need hand craftsmanship rather than factory volume.
Bespoke commissions
One-of-one pieces designed and hand-built to a private client's exact specification.
Vegetable tanning
Traditional slow-tanning methods that develop a natural patina impossible to replicate with chrome tanning.
Hand-stitching
Saddle stitching by hand rather than machine, producing a stronger and more repairable seam.
Restoration & repair
Full restoration services for aging leather goods, including our own pieces decades after purchase.
Hardware & fittings
Solid brass and nickel hardware sourced from the same foundries used for generations.
Capped production and no factory expansion since 1996
- Years training per craftsperson
- 7+
- Years training per craftsperson
- Pieces repaired for original owners
- 2,400+
- Pieces repaired for original owners
- Private label brand partners
- 9
- Private label brand partners
- Workshop size
- 18 people
- Workshop size
Selected work
A few partnerships we can discuss publicly
Most private label work is confidential by brand agreement. These are relationships our partners have approved us to reference.
Luxury watches
Veretti Orologi
Ongoing production partnership supplying hand-stitched leather watch straps, with each batch matched to specific case finishes and hardware tones.
14,000+watch straps hand-produced to date
Luxury resale
Archivio Resale
Built a dedicated restoration process for pre-owned luxury handbags requiring hardware replating and stitching repair before resale listing.
9 daysrestoration turnaround, down from 6 weeks
About the workshop
Founded to keep vegetable tanning alive as an industrial practice disappeared
Aurelio was founded in 1996 by master tanner Aurelio Bassano, who trained under his father in a tradition of vegetable tanning that was rapidly disappearing as the industry shifted to faster chrome tanning. The workshop has stayed at eighteen craftspeople by deliberate choice, since quality control breaks down at larger scale.
- Capped production, by design
- We turn down volume we could technically produce, because hand-finishing quality degrades past a certain scale.
- Seven-year apprenticeship
- Every craftsperson trains for seven years before working on client commissions independently.
- Repair over replace
- We restore our own pieces decades later, and design every joint and seam so it can be repaired.
- Traditional tanning, kept alive
- Vegetable tanning takes weeks longer than industrial methods, and we've never shortened the process.
Leadership
Aurelio Bassano
Founder & Master Tanner
Giulia Bassano
Creative Director
Marco Ferretti
Head of Production
Elena Conti
Head of Restoration
What partners and clients say
“Aurelio's straps are the reason our case finishes look intentional rather than mismatched. They match hardware tones to within a shade.”
Nathaniel P.
Head of Product, Veretti Orologi
“Their restoration turnaround changed our resale timeline entirely. Nine days instead of six weeks meant we could finally scale that service.”
Vivienne C.
Head of Authentication, Archivio Resale
“I commissioned a bespoke travel case that arrived exactly as sketched eight months earlier. That kind of follow-through is rare at any price point.”
Private client
Bespoke commission, Private Client
From the workshop
Notes on craft
Training
What a seven-year leather apprenticeship teaches
A look inside the training process every Aurelio craftsperson completes before working independently.
Production
Why we cap annual production instead of expanding
The quality control tradeoffs that come with scaling hand-finished leather goods past a certain size.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, though our production capacity is limited. We typically work with a small number of brand partners at any given time to maintain quality control.
Bring us a piece worth making properly
Whether it's a private label program or a single bespoke commission, most conversations start with understanding what you need it to do.