Where and when was the brand founded?
TAKEASY started in the US in 2022. Our bags come from a showroom in Florence that has had its own bag line since 2018, and the leather comes from a Florentine tannery with a 30-year history. We keep the bags in Florida and ship across the US from there.
What was the catalyst in starting the brand?
A simple question: why does a good leather bag cost so much more once a famous name is stamped on it? In Florence we found bags made in Italy from real Italian leather, each model by the workshop that specializes in it. We wanted women here to be able to buy that bag and pay for the leather, not for a name.
Was there a design/fashion muse you can tell us about?
Honestly, our customers. Many of them own the same tote in two or three colors, and they tell us in their reviews about finding the exact shade to go with a favorite pair of shoes. She knows what she likes, she carries her bag every day, and she enjoys it when a friend asks where it's from. We choose our colors with her in mind.
What is the dream for the brand in the next 5 years?
That a woman in Brooklyn, Dallas or Seattle can see our bag in a boutique she trusts, touch the leather, pick her color, and come back a year later for a second one. Shops like Classic Six are exactly how we want to grow.
Do you have a favorite collection or piece to date?
The Firenze tote, the bag we started with. A simple shape in pebbled Italian leather, room for a tablet and a full day, and more than twenty colors, which is why so many customers end up with more than one. From your fall lookbook, I love the tobacco suede Novara with the white Donna shirt.
What's your favorite thing in your closet right now?
My closet is mostly bag samples, to be honest. Right now my favorite is the chocolate Lecco.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Only sell what you would happily give to your own mother.
Is there one unforgettable defining time in your career that changed you?
The first time a customer wrote that she came back for the same bag in a second color. That is when we knew the leather was doing the selling, not a name.
Who is your style icon?
Italian women on a Sunday walk in Florence: a good coat, a real leather bag, and not a single logo in sight.
If you could be from any other decade (or era), which would it be?
The 1970s. Suede, tobacco brown and bags big enough for an entire day.
If you could have any three classic icons over for dinner - who would they be?
Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn and Marcello Mastroianni. Dinner in Rome, and I would mostly listen.
Who would play you in the movie of your life?
Stanley Tucci. He could make a conversation about leather colors sound like a cooking show.
Best gift you've ever received?
A leather bag from Florence, years before TAKEASY. I still carry it, which says everything about the leather.
What does the word "Classic" mean to you?
A bag you stop thinking about. You grab it every morning, it goes with everything, and people still ask where it's from.
QUICKFIRE
Sign:
Made in Italy. It's on the tag inside every bag.
Sweet or salty:
Salty.
Coffee or Tea:
Espresso, standing at the bar, the Italian way.
Favorite Classic Movie:
Roman Holiday.
Never without:
A color card. Someone always asks about a shade.
BLANK is the new BLANK:
Color is the new black.
Color you couldn't live without:
Warm brown.
Your favorite accessory:
A leather tote, of course.
Your favorite wardrobe piece:
A navy blazer.
Favorite city:
Florence.
Last trip you were on:
Florence. I came back with more leather swatches than clothes.
Last book you read:
Deluxe by Dana Thomas. Good reading before you pay for a logo.
Favorite Restaurant:
Any trattoria in Florence with a short menu and no rush.
Hotel you're dreaming of:
A small palazzo in Florence with a courtyard.
Design is:
What is left when you take the logo away.
Fashion will always:
Come back to good leather.
I'm a firm believer in:
Using the good bag on an ordinary Tuesday.
I'm deeply grateful for:
Customers who choose a small brand and tell a friend.
The world needs more:
Things made to be used, not just photographed.
If you had to pick one Classic Six piece, what would it be?
The navy Katharine blazer. You paired it with denim and our chocolate Lecco in the fall lookbook, and the brown leather against navy is exactly the kind of everyday classic we love.
