Heart and Soul
Author:Lindsey ShookCésar Giraldo partners with new luxury leather maker LeBravo on a passionate new collection
While meeting at a dinner hosted in celebration of LCDQ’s annual Legends event, designer César Giraldo and leather manufacturing expert Albena Taneva knew they were destined to create something special together. Known for curating modern masterpieces, Giraldo has a deep understanding of quality design and a passion for life that aligned with Taneva’s spirit. “We immediately liked each other on a personal level and slowly started talking about business,” she notes. For decades, she and her family have been producing the finest leather goods for luxury Italian brands including Maserati, Bottega Veneta and more. “Their history and knowledge of the leather industry is very rich, and I absolutely love their connection to design and fashion,” says Giraldo.
Sadly due to the pandemic, the timing wasn’t right to produce a collaboration, however, they used the downtime to continue the conversation and allow ideas to flow. It’s no secret that Italy was deeply affected by the pandemic, forcing several businesses to close. However, it inspired Taneva and her family to launch a new company called LeBravo, that would focus on the design industry versus fashion and automotive. Taneva’s son Umberto Paolo Ferranti—who learned the craft from his father who is a third generation leather producer—is at the helm of LeBravo, spearheading innovation of both the production and marketing aspects of the business. “It has been quite a long process,” Taneva notes. “We started forming ideas during Covid because we had a lot of time to reflect. When we were able to see each other, we were having brunch in Milan and I said to César ‘Why don’t we do collection’ and needless to say, he was so excited because he always wanted to create his own leathers.”
“As a designer, leather is a luxury material that I enjoy using in my residential and hospitality projects,” he says. “Leather adds another layer of beauty and sophistication to spaces and furnishings.” Inspired by Milan’s forward thinking culture, the 19-piece collection defies the traditional expectations of leather in the form of texture, print and color. “He likes unpredictable lines,” Taneva says. “He would sketch a piece of the sky or a view of the city and form there we would figure out which details we could translate to the leather. This is very different than other leather brands. They not only catch the eye, but they feel different.”
Each piece has a story and a soul, conceptualized by Giraldo’s zest for life. Part of the collection will be on display covering custom furniture inside this remarkable 20,000-square-foot spec home designed by Giraldo, that was just listed for $68M. “This collection is my love letter to Milan,” Giraldo remarks. “The city’s energy, architecture, design, textures, natural surroundings, walks, sunsets—all of the facets of Milan inspired me to create the collection, and I’m very proud of it.”
