Loro Piana ‘Bale Bag’ is inspired by cashmere bales

Inspired by the shape and texture of the bales of cashmere that Loro Piana uses to create its collections, the leather handbag draws a line between the house's past and present

In the 1970s, the Loro Piana family – who began trading wool from Trivero, Italy at the start of the 19th century – travelled to the wild highland plains of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia in search of the world's finest cashmere, the fibre with which the house has become synonymous.

The new ‘Bale Bag’ from the house recalls these roots, its name a reference to the enormous bales of cashmere harvested by nomadic Mongolian shepherds and delivered to the company's spinning mill in Roccapietra, Piedmont, where it is transformed into Loro Piana's various fabrics – a process which continues today.

‘Bale’ large calfskin bag in Whisper White, £3,070, by Loro Piana. Available from loropiana.com

The bag itself – a seamless style with a sinuous, gently rounded silhouette – is designed to recall the shape of these bales, while the supple texture of the calfskin leather is an echo of the softness of the vast cashmere piles. Each bag takes a full to construct by a Loro Piana artisan; ‘it is the ultimate perfection at every step,’ say the Italian house.

Available in tumbled or fine-grain leather and an array of warm hues with tone-on-tone suede lining – navy, cerise, tan and marble grey among them – it epitomises the discreet elegance and ease of the house, a celebration of Loro Piana's made-in-Italy savoir-faire, past and present.

A version of this story appears in the July 2023 issue of Wallpaper*, available now in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

The ‘Bale Bag’ is available from loropiana.com and mytheresa.com

Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*. Having previously held roles at 10, 10 Men and AnOther magazines, he joined the team in 2022. His work has a particular focus on the moments where fashion and style intersect with other creative disciplines – among them art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and profiling the industry's leading figures and brands.

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