Piero Peroni

Fratelli Peroni

Leatherworker

©Peroni Firenze

When creativity is a family affair

Piero works with his sons, Maurizio and Marco
There are 37 steps to produce a single coin case
Fratelli Peroni collaborates with a lot of famous labels

The origins of Fratelli Peroni date back to 1956, when the brothers Piero and Roberto Peroni founded their leather workshop in Florence. Today, Maurizio and Marco, together with their father Piero, are carrying on the tradition of high quality leather products with creativity and innovation. Piero Peroni creates everyday products – wallets, business card holders, coin cases, furnishing, bags, briefcases – using high quality raw materials, like the vegetable tanned calf leather. He takes inspiration from the Florentine artistic heritage, specifically some details of the works of art in the museums. Piero and his sons collaborate with a lot of famous labels, including Fendi – the famous Italian fashion brand – who have chosen Peroni for reinterpreting their iconic bag “Baguette”.

Interview

©Peroni Firenze

©Peroni Firenze

What was your training?: When I finished school, I didn’t really want to keep studying. Thanks to my father’s connections, I found work as an apprentice in a small leather working company. There, I became adept at decorating the “cuoietto fiorentino” with gold: I liked this work very much.
What time period was all this taking place?: It was the second post-war period. At that time, everything was easier: in the years of the economic boom, it was very easy to start a new company. So, together with my brother Roberto, two years younger than me, we founded Fratelli Peroni.
Which kind of leather do you use for your products?: We use vegetable tanned calf leather with natural tannins. We hand paint with natural colours – the result is a biodegradable product, with no toxic or harmful substances for humans or the environment. We also work precious skins, such as crocodile, stingray and python.
Could your craft be considered in danger?: Yes. First of all, hand-made products are more expensive than the industrial ones. Then, we have fewer and fewer young people in the workshops, which will have, in the next few years, fewer specialists and fewer skilled craftsmen.

Piero Peroni is a master artisan: he began his career in 1956 and he started teaching in 1970