Our Process

Floto Leather Bag Factory

At Floto, we’re committed to giving you an exceptional product that stands up to the top designer brands. Quality, honesty, and tradition drives everything we do. From the first swatch to the final stitch, we take pride in our work at every stage. Our real passion is in the details of the leathercraft itself, based on the same old world traditions of generations past and ensuring the most personal, expert touch.

 

Sourcing

 

Leather skins at the Floto Leather Bag factory in ItalyAll of our leather is 100% genuine and sourced from Tuscany’s most famous tanneries. We prefer flexible, full grain Italian leather that is vegetable-tanned through a chemical-free process using natural extracts and oils. The result is a supple and vibrant material that will soften, patina, and develop a warm, silky touch over time. We call this Etruscan-style tanning because the process can be traced back to the Etruscans during the Bronze Age. Many have tried to imitate our timeless styles, but there is no substitute for the world class quality that we source from Tuscany's most famous tanneries.

 

Floto Leather Bag liningAll of our bags are lined using cotton duck canvas lining that we source from a textile mill in South Carolina. This material is more durable and lightweight than the standard synthetic liners available. As an American brand, it’s important to us that we support domestic manufacturing.

 


 

 

Design

 

 

Floto Leather Bag Factory DesignEach Floto design is born in the USA, either in our studio in Brooklyn, NY or our design lab in North Haven, CT. The best ideas go from drawing board to prototype—measured, patterned, and thoughtfully assembled in our lab before being sent off to Florence for production.

 

 

Production Process

Every Floto style is a work of art that must go through an intricate series of steps and a number of skilled craftsman before it arrives at your door. One of our handcrafted pieces can pass through up to 28 different workbenches at our Florence, Italy factory.

 

Cutting leather at Floto Leather Bag Factory

Cutting 

Each leather panel is die cut with a hydraulic press. After cutting, the leather panels are carefully organized and bundled for the next stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leather skiving at Floto leather bag factory

Skiving 

We use the highest quality skiving machines to thin the leather. Thinning the leather is necessary to seamlessly blend parts together and to help reduce the weight of the bag for a sleek and luxurious design. One reason we love using vegetable-tanned leather is that it maintains its durability even after the skiving process. 

 

 

 

 

 

Leather bag assembly at Floto in Italy

Assembly 

Before being assembled, each piece goes through careful rounds of sanding and edge painting. After drying, the pieces are glued to provide reinforcement and to ensure a straight, beautiful stitch during sewing stages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floto Leather Bag Factory

Finishing 

The sewing and final assembly floor is where each Floto bag gets its final expert touches. Hand and machine sewing, riveting, zipper assembly, and the Floto signature seal.