Studio Tondini: Made in Italy meets Swiss functionality - The Swiss luxury handbag brand

Born before the pandemic and already being recognized globally, the Swiss company and brand Studio Tondini, member of S-GE, has been focusing on applying ethical thinking throughout its activities, with a short supply chain and a kaizen approach. Committed to preserving the world-class artisanal know-how in leather goods making by working with some of the top craftsmen worldwide, the brand also donates a portion of proceeds for each bag sold to the globally active charity Days for Girls.

Questions to Roberta Tondini, CEO of Studio Tondini:

How do you envision sustainability shaping the future of the fashion industry, particularly in the luxury segment?

I believe that luxury is about real value while applying strong principles and that, if each of us pursues value, both the planet and us humans will be better off.

Nowadays, we hear about sustainability everywhere, yet fashion is as a whole one of the industries where unsustainable practices have been widely (and in some cases wildly!) in place. This has contributed to impoverishing the planet and the workers, but also the consumers, who have been pushed to chase more and more purchases having less and less value.

My Grandparents and my Aunt used to be high-end retailers in Italy and, back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, their clientele was broad and diverse: for some clients a purchase of a high-end good would be an “investment”, and for others a more daily habit, yet each of the items sold was made with outmost care, to last for a long time. The same principle is part of the Swiss approach, for instance in watch making.

This is why when I created Studio Tondini I focused on going back to traditional sustainability. Our precious items are entirely made in Italy. This means that not only the high-end craftsmanship, but also each quality component is made in Italy by selected suppliers, with care for the planet and the workers behind the scenes. Moreover, we focus on using highly natural materials, avoiding plastics as much as possible even in our packaging, and we focus on creating icons: each of our handbags is an entire universe, inspired by a woman who gives name and identity to our creations.

In a phrase, we go back to a philosophy that we like to summarise as savoir faire, savoir vivre, savoir choisir. For me this is the only way we can go forward: by choosing well each of our (fashion) purchases, we contribute to a better life: for us, the workers behind the scenes, the planet, and the creatures inhabiting it.

A choice which allowed us to enter the prestigious Positive Luxury circle, along with other top brands such as Dior Couture.
 

What does the concept of "functional luxury" mean to you, and how does it differentiate your brand in the market?

Functional luxury is what we pioneer as a brand and it connects deeply both with our Italian as well as with our Swiss heritage, in particular to the “Swiss army knife” nature of the features part of our products.

Luxury without function remains, to me, a mere stylistic exercise. Perhaps this is because, as a designer, I was deeply influenced by interior design, which lives out of functionality, and certainly because, in my previous career as a lawyer, I often found myself exchanging with other women about the common frustration on luxury handbags being impractical for the modern life.

That is what differentiates our brand in the market: a high-end aesthetics and craftsmanship together with deep attention to comfort and functionality. I think this is the best of both worlds and the key to our uniqueness.
 

Where are your main markets and what factors are influencing your decision to expand your business internationally, specifically, what regions have you targeted for growth?

Since our origins, we have been focusing our initial growth in our home market, Switzerland, together with the surrounding markets, the benefit also being the attractivity of Switzerland and central Europe to tourists. This allowed us to grow, already from our early stages, an international community of informed clients.

Going forward, we are bringing our brand closer and closer to those clients, in markets which are more distant, such as Japan and the USA. We found in particular that Japanese clients are very fond of the complexity hidden in some of our top-tier products, such as The Simona Backpack, which requires a level of detail and craftsmanship capabilities comparable to that of a Swiss watch.

We have been already working on this for a long time now, hence we expect to see results soon on a global scale.
 

Can you discuss the advantages and challenges of manufacturing your products in Italy?

I am originally Italian and we chose Italy to develop and produce our handbags for many reasons.

Firstly, because it is the craftsmanship hub of most of the highest quality handbags in the world. This long-standing know-how, finding its roots in renaissance, has to be protected and enhanced, as it enables to keep in the Italian and European territory a high amount of jobs. Also, the quality of made in Italy leather goods is undisputable and, thanks to this, it is probably the only country where the supply chain required (i.e. the “ingredients” going in our bags) is still present and highly qualitative.

Moreover, as a qualified attorney in Italy, I know the deep care which the Italian and European laws require for the workers behind the scenes as well as for the environment. Thinking for instance about the “ingredients”, the leather tanning processes in Italy require tanners to abide to thousands of laws, which makes made in Italy leathers not only the best in the world but also the most sustainable ones.

The main challenge is that…it is another country! Hence, as we wish to visit our suppliers on a regular basis, travel time is needed and, as we are based in Zurich, that can take some time. Also, for the day-to-day business-making, one must know the culture and, in most cases, the language to manufacture in another country, of course this was an easier decision for us.
 

What measures do you take to differentiate your products from competitors in the luxury market and maintain a competitive edge? What is your biggest challenge?

A very good question! Well, much like a personality, I would say that one should just stick to be oneself. We are not, for instance, Prada nor do we want to be confused with it nor any other high-end brand.

Our vision, heritage, and values are completely different from any other brand and we are not looking into becoming a big conglomerate. Rather, we want to keep on being a niche brand and company delivering always what we stand up for, and more. This is what can differentiate us best in a world where the attention span of people has diminished so much. We want to be heard from those who want to listen to us and share our vision, while conversing with them on how to always improve.

Our biggest challenge is to emerge among luxury brands having marketing budgets going beyond our wildest dreams and being “everywhere”. We need to be very smart about how we market our products and how we want to deliver our message to the world.
 

You have been a valued member since 2022. How can S-GE best support you in your international expansion and what do you value the most of your membership?

We are glad to be part of S-GE and your team supported us many times already, also with the online tools you make available. While we grow, we can only imagine all the challenges we will be facing internationally, albeit that will be with the constant awareness that we have a great companion onboard. As an SME it is essential to know you always have a compass at hand to navigate the complexities of the international activities of the company. And doing so with ease. Your personnel proved many times to be very hands-on and strives to deliver exactly what is needed, while always avoiding any unnecessary jargon. It is just like having you as part of our team!