Departures of note

Carla Braccialini was an Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded the accessories company bearing her name in the 1950s together with her husband Roberto. After the Second World War she sensed that the Italian market was ready for experimentation in handbags, creating colorful models with curious, often pop details decorated with flowers, animals and little houses. The artisanal bag workshop grew into a brand famous worldwide, both for its own collections and for collaborations such as a 1986 licensing agreement with Vivienne Westwood for the production of accessories. After her husband's death in the 1970s she personally ran the company alongside her three sons, Riccardo, Massimo and Lorenzo. Her life story was collected in the biographical book 'La ragazza che non sapeva fare le borse', recounting the ninety years of a woman who, without technical training in fashion, invented a new way of creating accessories. Among her honors was her appointment as Cavaliere del Lavoro, received in 2009 from then President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. The Braccialini brand continues today following its acquisition in April 2017 by Graziella Holding. She died in Florence at the age of 95.