Lineapelle February 2020: Part 2

Without any further delay... Hi! It’s a new month and I can’t believe how quickly time is flying! I know you’ve all been waiting eagerly for Part 2, so without any further delay, let’s get to the good stuff! As I mentioned in Part 1 of my feedback, I spent about 7 hours in Hall 22 and 24 and I only stopped at booths with bag components and hardware. Hall 22 and 24 housed hundreds of hardware, materials and component suppliers to trawl through. As with most fairs, you get a mix of suppliers exhibiting. I’ll be focussing on the suppliers who had the most interesting and innovative products on show.

One such supplier was Seriplanet who has perfected digital printing on leather and non-leather goods. The best part: they can print on completed products. Bags and shoes can now be transformed into walking artworks. They showed me artworks printed on completed bags where the artwork was printed over metal locks, leather, stitching...you name it, the print covered it. They really impressed me with the array of finishes they could print onto a leather bag or pair of sneakers. Ombres, flocking, diamanté, silicone, high definition imagery, glossy prints, glow in the dark…honestly, they told me they could do almost anything! Gone are the days where you need to fit your artwork onto a panel or try to match up the seams. Add an extra element of wow to your next collection and give this company a try! So far I’ve experienced amazing customer service and they’ve been extremely helpful so far.

Another impressive fabric manipulation supplier I met with was L:A:S Laser Art Style who specializes in laser cutting. They showed the most intricate and detailed laser cutting and in addition, they can apply layering, flocking, embroidery and plastic backing so you can go as detailed as you like without compromising on quality and durability. I also saw a lot of leather weaving suppliers. Creativity Leather Manufacturer can work with your existing supplier to add leather weaving to your designs. Add a weaving technique to the edges of a flap panel, the edge of a bag gusset or around the edges of a wallet.

As Lineapelle is a leather oriented event, I have to talk about leather! There were rows and rows of tanneries, all with their booths filled with the most gorgeous offerings. One supplier who stood out for me was Shafeeq Shameel & Co. who has developed Organicraft: a collection of leathers that have been tanned in an eco-friendly way by using renewable and natural biotechnology. The tanning process uses less water, dyed with organic and vegetable pigments and contains water-based finishing which all results in biodegradable leather at the end of the process. They also offer an organic collection of leathers that don't use harmful chemicals during the tanning process. The best part is that the leathers felt buttery and luxurious. They had Nappa's, pebble texture, suede, washed Nappa, even metallic finishes.

Are you perhaps looking for a ‘middle-of-the-road’ solution? I found a number of suppliers offering recycled leather! Salamander Bonded Leather has developed a way to recycle small off-cuts of leather from shoe soles and transform these seemingly useless morsels into recycled leather sheets, giving small off-cuts a new lease on life. Their recycled leather contains 80% leather and 20% natural latex and they don't use harmful chemicals. They have a range of debossing finishes from Croc to Lizard print and they are OEKO-tex certified. Relea also offers recycled leather using offcuts and natural rubber. They finish their recycled leather sheets with a Nappa finish.

Each section of the fair had a Trend Section that displayed all the trends for SS21 and a collection of all the newest offerings from each exhibitor. The display had quite a bit of plastic hardware. Valter s.r.l displayed a great collection of hardware in resin from chains to buckles, handles, and rings. Lartigiana Resinplast Art Design & Industry also had a great collection of resin hardware in tortoiseshell, matt, striped effect and neon colours to add a fun element to your collection. Have you seen the plastic handles with metal framing? Lartigiana can help develop a handle for your brand too!

Another trend I saw was weaving leather through metal hardware along the edges or through an O ring. Nova Emme s.r.l. showed lovely examples of leather weaving coupled with the metallic hardware. This hardware detail lifts the traditional bohemian styling. Ombre hardware was another innovation I loved! Light gold to rose gold in a single buckle looked really effective. Mixing and matching different finishes such as plastic and metals and in a variety of colours seemed to be popular among supplier exhibiting. Transparent resins and marble effect pieces were also quite popular among the exhibitors.

If you're looking to source your own hardware from Italian suppliers, have a look at Senatori S.p.l, Fimma Spa, ABC Caruso Group, Brassmood Metal Fashion Accessories, and ACS Accessories. I'll be making my supplier list with all contact details available within the next few weeks so keep an eye out for it!

There's always so much to report back on and only a limited amount in an email. I hope you've enjoyed my feedback on Lineapelle: February 2020! If you'd like any further details or information please don't hesitate to contact me!

Chat soon!