The History of Cellerini: a Florentine Leather Atelier Since 1956
The birth
of the artisan workshop
The History of Cellerini: a Florentine Leather Atelier Since 1956
The history of Cellerini began in Florence in 1956, when Silvano and Anna Maria Cellerini founded a workshop devoted to artisanal leather goods. Since 1960, the atelier has operated on the first floor of Via del Sole 9, in the city’s historic centre.
Today, as it always has been, Cellerini is a family-run business led by sisters Antonella and Alessandra Fantechi, supported by Antonella’s children, Isabella and Lorenzo. Bags, wallets, belts, travel goods and leather accessories are designed and made at the historic premises.
Key milestones in the atelier’s history
Key milestones of the artisan leather atelier
1956 – The foundation
Silvano and Anna Maria Cellerini founded Cellerini in Florence, initially as a workshop specialising in the repair of leather goods. Over time, the quality of their work earned the trust of several Florentine aristocratic families, encouraging them to offer their clients pieces of their own production.
1967 – The Via del Sole premises and the expansion of the workshop
As demand grew, the workshop spaces on the first floor of Via del Sole 9 were enlarged to support the growth of the business and accommodate an increasingly varied production. The same premises still house the atelier and showroom today.
From the 1970s to the late 1990s – International growth and family tradition
Thanks to the continued recognition of its exceptionally high-quality work, Cellerini became increasingly well known and began serving a growing international clientele. Over time, the atelier welcomed customers from Japan, the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Taiwan and Singapore.
During the 1980s, Silvano’s daughter Alessandra formally joined the business – although she had been part of its life since childhood – preserving her father’s savoir-faire.
2009 – Alessandra Cellerini at the helm and Antonella joins the atelier
Alessandra Cellerini took over the leadership of the workshop, continuing both to work at the bench and to assist customers.
Antonella was hired by Cellerini as a sewing machinist. In the years that followed, she developed a thorough knowledge of every stage required to make leather bags and accessories, eventually becoming head of the workshop. Working side by side with Alessandra, she also developed a deep friendship and a strong professional understanding.
2018 – Passing the baton
Retirement was a peaceful transition for Alessandra, guided by the certainty that Cellerini’s spirit would remain intact. Antonella had embraced the secrets of its long-established craftsmanship with extraordinary dedication. Building on this natural understanding, Alessandra chose to pass the baton to her, confident that she had found the right person to safeguard and nurture the historic tradition of leather craftsmanship.
That same year, Antonella was joined by her sister, Alessandra F., who took responsibility for administration and sales and later became a full partner in the company.
2019 to the present – The future has ancient roots
Isabella and Lorenzo, Antonella’s children, joined the workshop as apprentices. Guided by their mother in learning the techniques and Florentine tradition of leatherworking, they combined workshop practice with their complementary skills and contributed to the company’s customer relations and commercial development.
Craft knowledge passed on through shared work
The continuity of the atelier grew out of a professional collaboration developed over time. From 2009 onwards, Antonella worked side by side with Alessandra Cellerini, sharing the workshop’s daily rhythm and its specific production knowledge.
The skills preserved include leather skiving, fitting metal components and drafting paper patterns by hand. These techniques require precision, practice and a deep understanding of the materials.
When Alessandra Cellerini chose to retire, Antonella took over the management and acquired the company. In doing so, she inherited a legacy of gestures, patterns, attention to detail and direct relationships with customers.
Today, this knowledge continues to evolve through the contribution of a renewed family-run business.
How a Cellerini bag is made
The making of a bag begins with a paper pattern drawn and cut by hand. The leather is shaped with shears, trimmed with a traditional leather knife and prepared through skiving. Structural leather reinforcements are added when required.
Assembly is carried out using traditional sewing machines. All other stages – preparation, bonding, colouring, construction and finishing – are completed entirely by hand.
The visible edges, known as costole, are carefully sanded. Two coats of colour are then applied using awls, with natural drying between each application, followed by final polishing.
The Via del Sole workshop produces handcrafted leather bags, wallets, belts, travel goods and accessories. Leathers, colours and various details can be selected together with the customer, according to the chosen model.
The people carrying Cellerini forward
Antonella Fantechi
I entered the world of craftsmanship at the age of nineteen, almost by chance, and found my true vocation in this trade – a journey in which there is always more to learn. Leatherworking became my home.
I began with the meticulous making of small accessories, before experiencing my major turning point at forty-five, when I walked through the doors of the historic Florentine leather atelier Cellerini. Here I learned the art of making handcrafted bags in every stage, from the pattern to final assembly.
I joined as an employee, with the humility of someone eager to learn, and later had the honour of carrying forward the founders’ legacy by acquiring the company with my sister. Today, at sixty-three, I am its managing director. I continue a piece of Florentine tradition with the same emotion and passion as the young woman who first entered the workshop.
Alessandra Fantechi
My professional journey combines strong organisational and interpersonal skills, developed from the time I earned my Tour Escort qualification in 1987, with a proven ability to reinvent myself.
For 25 years, I was the cornerstone of an engineering firm, independently managing its administrative and technical operations in every respect.
When the firm closed, I reinvented myself in the fashion sector, spending five years in quality control for luxury leather goods produced for international brands, where I developed exacting precision. I then joined my sister’s company: starting in administrative and sales support, I became a full partner within a year.
Today, I continue this entrepreneurial journey with renewed determination and a solid range of cross-functional skills.
Isabella
Driven by a deep passion for art in all its forms, I graduated from art school and earned a degree in Animation and Illustration.
During my studies, I began helping in my mother’s company and soon discovered its remarkable creative potential: the perfect place to express my imagination. What began as a way to help in my free time quickly became a life choice.
Today, I bring my artistic background directly to the workbench, combining a search for colours and forms with artisanal manual skill. I enthusiastically divide my time between two worlds: full-time workshop life, built on precision, and direct contact with customers, whom I love helping to turn their wishes into reality.
Lorenzo
Before I fell in love with craftsmanship, my education was rooted in training as a surveyor, which gave me valuable foundations in technical drawing and proportions.
The turning point came during my third year of high school, when my mother inherited the historic Cellerini company and I began helping her in the workshop at weekends. Her passion inspired me so deeply that I changed direction: I chose to graduate in Languages in Florence, to break down communication barriers and personally develop relationships with our international clientele.
During university, workshop life absorbed me: whenever I was not in class, I was wearing my apron. Today, I work full time at Cellerini, combining language skills with daily craft practice, proud to carry this tradition forward while aware that there is still a great deal to learn.
A Florentine atelier open to the world
The international dimension has been part of Cellerini’s history since the late 1970s. Over the years, the atelier has built relationships with customers from Japan, the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Taiwan and Singapore.
The relationship, however, remains that of an artisan workshop. Every request is heard directly by the people who design, make and finish the product.
Even when the conversation begins at a distance, customisation grows out of a dialogue between the customer’s preferences and the workshop’s experience, with direct interaction with the artisans.
Cellerini today
Visit the historic Via del Sole premises
The atelier and showroom are located on the first floor of Via del Sole 9, in central Florence.
Here, visitors can explore the models, view the leathers and learn more about the available customisation options.
To arrange a visit or request further information, customers can contact Cellerini directly.
Request
informations
Fill out the form and send us your request without obligation, we will respond as soon as possible!