PARRI introduces luxury leather bags

A limited collection of PARRI’s Colomba bags at Lotte Department Store Avenuel Building on Sept. 10. / Courtesy of TOTUM

By Kim Jae-heun

ELIDEN, an exclusive multi-brand shop at Lotte Department Store, has launched a pop-up store for its limited collections of the premium Italian alligator bag “PARRI’s Colomba” on Sept. 10 at its Avenuel building in Joong-gu, Seoul.

Italian trading company TOTUM, based in Florence, is the importer of the luxury bags, which only produces 50 of each model annually around the world. The manufacturing company of the bags, Bianchi e Nardi only produces an extra number of customized bags on order-made requests.

Two craftsmen look at the PARRI’s Colomba bag at a workshop in Italy.

Two Lotte Department Stores, in Jamsil, Seoul and Centum City in Busan, are selling the PARRI’s Colomba edition bags, and Hyundai Department Store in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul, and Duty Free Shop in Jeju, present solely classic lines of PARRI’s bags. Lotte Department Store in Jung-gu has both, including the same model of a clutch bag that Queen Elizabeth II chose to have.

Park Jong-sung, the director of TOTUM, distinguishes PARRI products from other quality hand bags in their authenticity of materials used and origin of country where they are manufactured.

A Bianchi E Nardi representative hands a present to a lady during the brand’s fashion show in Sala Bianca in Florence, Italy.

“PARRI’s Colomba bags use world class alligator skin from Louisiana, which is different from the cheap leather of Southeast Asian crocodiles in size of the pattern and quality,” said Park during the press presentation at ELIDEN. “Also, many of the bags marked Made in Italy are often manufactured in Asian countries, such as China or Vietnam, and only marked as Made in Italy because they went through European soil. But I can assure you of the authenticity of PARRI’s bags as I’ve watched all manufacturing processes by visiting the workshops and factory.”

The design and quality of the brand comes from craftsmanship of Giordano Parri, who grew up experiencing the heritage of the Medici family of the Renaissance. Parri started his leather workshop in 1950 and opened his shop at Via Guicciardini, center of the leather business district of Florence, Italy, four years later. He stuck to using fine leathers even during World War II.

Shoppers watch bags displayed on the wall at the Bianchi E Nardi headquarters in Florence, Italy.

The Italian designer had to find a cooperative firm to cope with ever-increasing orders of his leather items and Bianchi E Nardi, the company specializing in crocodile skin, offered partnership in 1960.

The brand PARRI has entered the North American market, and opened a store in the luxury shopping complex “Waterside Shops” in Naples, Florida, along a store in Miami Beach, targeting the upper class. PARRI also plans on opening a showroom in Soho, New York, and displays some of its collections in high-end stores such as Barney’s and Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

A model poses with Bianchi E Nardi bag during a fashion show in Florence.

“These bags are special in that the condition of the leather depository was good and the way the hide is cut and put together to finish the bag is excellent. For a month, we will sell bags from PARRI’s Colomba collection and see if we want to open a shop here in ELIDEN,” said ELIDEN Chief Buyer Kim Mi-na.

In Korea, some 17 models of the bags are introduced, targeting ladies from the ages of 20 to 70. The prices of the PARRI’s Colomba bags vary from the cheapest model at 11 million won ($9,353) to the most expensive at 22 million won ($18,707).

PARRI’s Colomba bag