FLORENCE – Fashion designer Carla Braccialini died in Florence on Tuesday, 3 November, aged 95. In 1954, she and her husband Roberto founded the handbag and accessories company that bears her name, turning it into an internationally renowned brand within just a few years.
A playful revolution in handbag design
Braccialini was among the first to recognise that the Italian market was ready for a more experimental approach to handbags. She began creating colourful, playful designs adorned with quirky details – often distinctly pop-inspired, featuring flowers, little animals and butterflies. Her experimentation soon extended to shapes, too. Braccialini conceived extraordinary, entirely unconventional pieces for their time, including handbags shaped like little houses and toy cars.
Within a few years, she had made her mark on the international fashion scene with highly distinctive designs, celebrated for their experimental spirit, vibrant colours and, above all, their sense of fun.
Turning loss into a lasting legacy
After her husband died in the 1970s, Carla Braccialini continued to run the business. Together with their three sons, Riccardo, Massimo and Lorenzo, she personally oversaw every stage of the process, from design to production.
Under her instinctive creative direction, the company continued to grow, both through its own collections and through collaborations with other designers. These included a partnership with Vivienne Westwood, with whom Braccialini signed a licensing agreement for the production of accessories in 1986.
Her story
Her life was chronicled in the 2021 biography La ragazza che non sapeva fare le borse (The girl who didn't know how to make handbags), which traces the 90-year journey of a woman who, as she herself liked to recount, had found a new way to create accessories despite having no formal technical training in fashion.
The book also explores more intimate chapters of her life: her childhood in Ponte a Mensola, just a few kilometres from Florence, during the bombing raids of the Second World War; her marriage and motherhood; and the founding of her company.
Among the many honours she received was the title of Cavaliere del Lavoro (Order of Merit for Labour), awarded in 2009 by then President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano. Braccialini continued designing handbags until around ten years ago, when she decided to retire.
The brand was acquired in April 2017 by Graziella Holding, a company based in Arezzo, which continues to operate it today.
“With Carla Braccialini, Italian fashion and style have lost one of their great names. Vision, creativity and originality defined her career. Together with her husband Roberto, she founded the company that bears her name, turning a bold idea into a brand celebrated around the world,” said Florence Mayor Sara Funaro, paying tribute to the designer.
This article was reviewed by an external translation partner