Handbags > Top brands > Carlos Falchi
Carlos Falchi has changed the landscape of accessory design. For more than three decades, he has earned international acclaim as an innovative designer of modern, cutting-edge handbags and accessories. A master leathersmith, Falchi applies the highest quality workmanship to his designs, and uses the finest leathers and skins.
Falchi – whose legion of fans includes the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Tina Turner, Madonna, Cher and Nancy Reagan – has been a staple on the American handbag scene. His designs have appeared in numerous films and television shows including The Way We Were, Convoy, As Good As It Gets, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Honeymoon in Vegas and “Sex in the City.”
His celebrity fan base now encompasses a new generation, with a throng of young, Hollywood “It” girls - Sienna Miller, Jessica Simpson and Eva Longoria –toting his bags.
Falchi, a native of Brazil, moved to New York City in 1964 and began working as night manager at legendary rock and roll hangout Max’s Kansas City. The club afforded him invaluable access to the elite underground. Falchi’s creative home-sewn outfits turned heads and it was not long before he began designing stage costumes for the likes of Miles Davis, Mick Jagger, Elvis Presley and Tina Turner. It was a stroke of fate when musician Herbie Hancock’s wife pressured him to show samples to Geraldine Stutz, then buyer for Henri Bendel. More impressed by the satchel in which he carried his samples, she ordered bags on the spot and thus his accessories collection was conceived.
Today, Falchi’s products lines range from handbags and belts to evening bags, jewelry and ready-to-wear.
Falchi draws inspiration from several arenas and has maintained full creative control of his brand. “For me, there is something magical about the creative process…I blend art and design to produce a dramatic and fresh take on the leather product,” he said. Falchi’s signature look of vivid color combinations and unusual patterns and textures is achieved by unique leather treatments and a passionate involvement with the distinctive design of each skin.
For spring 2006, Falchi presents his largest and most luxurious collection to date, utilizing exotic materials from around the world; deerskin, alligator, crocodiles, python, and goatskin hand-dyed in colors ranging from pastels to jewel tones to neutrals. His handbags are available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Henri Bendel.
In 1983, Falchi received a Coty Award for accessories design and he has been twice nominated (2003 and 2004) for CFDA's Accessory Designer of the Year Award.
In 2004, he was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Accessories Council.
Several of Falchi's designs have been placed in the permanent collection of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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