Valextra

Valextra is a brand of luxury leather goods and accessories based in Milan, Italy. The name is a portmanteau of "valigia", the Italian word for suitcase, and "extra".

The Valextra brand was founded in 1937 by Giovanni Fontana in Milan's Piazza San Babila. From the beginning, Valextra specialized in creating luggage, handbags and accessories from exotic animal hides such as alligator, hippopotamus and elephant skins. They focused upon luggage for the newly popular mode of airline travel.

From the 1940s through 1970s, Valextra handbags and luggage were frequently purchased by celebrities and wealthy clients. Among them were Gianni Agnelli, Grace Kelly, Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. During the last two decades of the 20th century, Valextra produced leathergoods for Cartier, Dunhill and Armani. After a gradual decline in prestige and quality, in 2000, the company was purchased by Emanuele Carminati Molina, who still serves as its President.

From the beginning, Valextra's designs have been modernist and largely unornamented, and have a reputation for being aesthetically minimalist and discreet. The New York Times described their products as "refined (and) understated" and the London Evening Standard as "elegant and understated". The New York Times went on to say "...nothing says reverse snobbery like Valextra, the venerable Italian company known for its anonymous but stately leather goods. For years, Valextra has been an insider secret in Europe, its nameless, perfectly constructed bags appealing, ironically, to high-profile celebrities and plutocrats.

Unlike similar luxury luggage companies such as Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Goyard, Valextra does not make "signature" or logo-pattern products, nor do they make canvas products. Valextra's logo is seldom visible on the outside of their goods.

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