A FAMILY STORY IN ONE BRAND
1989
Forleo Giovanni founded a little handcraft family run company dedicated to men’s accessories. Due to its quality, it soon became a symbol of made in Italy. At the beginning it was only based on the production of the high-quality belts.
1996
The company changes its name to Paolo Vitale, the grandfather of the current owners.
2002
The business is inherited by the grandsons, Mino and Paolo. A change in generation, though, did not affect its unique characteristics that make the company recognizable and distinguished.
The high quality characteristics of the products are addressed to élite customers: the Handmade in Italy sign, the handcraft production carried by its skilled staff, the creation of domestic handmade dyes following exclusive techniques, buckles with handmade stitching, accessories made of steel, solid brass or sterling silver. Furthermore, all calf leather belts are guaranteed by the Washington declaration, while exotic leather belts (such as snakes, crocodiles and pythons) are guaranteed by the C.I.T.E.S. certificate.
2012
In the meantime, other types of products were added to the brand, like handmade leather bracelets and soon the handcraft bags. This change made the company a producer of accessories for men d’élite
2021
The brand has been acquired by Maurizio Vicini's company, founded in 1975. Thanks to its continuous growth over the years, Maurizio Vicini has established itself as a prominent player in the high-quality leather belt industry, collaborating with renowned designers and prestigious shoe factories in the international high fashion scene.Every single step of production takes place in our workshop located in Vizzolo Predabissi. Our skilled and experienced staff, following the rich Italian craftsmanship tradition, combines traditional techniques with advanced technologies to create our exceptional products.
MISSION/AIM
Paolo Vitale enterprise wants to preserve the reached high quality levels using the handicraft and the passion in the production of belts, bracelets and bags for men. Old and family techniques, acquired from one generation to another one, make each accessory unique. Make a good deal isn’t just a matter of trade.
It’s a matter of believe in your job using the same passion of 40 years ago, while becoming a focus for the whole men fashion world. Paolo Vitale means experience, handicraft and Made in Italy.
DYEING PROCESS
The first step of Paolo Vitale’s production concerns the choice of raw materials which are carefully selected and cut. Each section is dyed (following the immersion process or using common buffers) and then washed to discharge the colour in excess. Later each part is dried at room-temperature: The main aim is not to dehydrate the leather. The dyes used by Paolo Vitale are exclusive because they are handmade internally, in collaboration with chemists and technicians. Each section has its own perfection process as the polishing system (thanks to different waxes or nutritious creams) or the hot ironing process to fix and intensify the colour, increase the resistance of the dye used and mitigate the shadings. All Paolo Vitale’s procedures are completely home-made and handmade.
FUSTELLE
Per evitare qualunque difetto e valorizzare le qualità del pellame tutti i prodotti Paolo Vitale sono tagliati a mano selezionando con cura le parti migliori su cui effettuare il taglio. L'utilizzo delle fustelle di taglio è una tecnica manuale in uso da almeno un secolo. Le lame delle fustelle sono angolate a 19° per ottenere una migliore resa degli angoli e dei bordi di ogni manufatto. Per ogni prodotto viene sviluppato un set di fustelle specifiche, una per ogni componente necessario. Per tagliare un portafoglio si devono realizzare almeno cinque fustelle per ogni modello.
DIE CUTTERS
To avoid any flaw and value the leather’s quality, Paolo Vitale selects the raw materials and cut the best part. Die cutters are used for a special manual technique that is has been practiced for more than a century. The blade of the die-boards are angled 19° to get the best possible result on the edges of each handiwork. A set of specific die-boards is selected for each product (every component needs its own die-board; e.g. it is necessary to realize at least five die-boards to develop a wallet).
DYEING STICKS
The edges of Paolo Vitale’s products are brushed, smoothed, dyed and polished by hand. The dye is delicately applied by using a fine sharp-pointed stick covered by absorbent cotton. The process could request from three to four dyeing coats, depending on the desired colour, all of them spaced out by a slow drying at room-temperature. The main aim of this process is to improve the flexibility and the resistance, under stress, of dyes and waxes on the edges. Final step is to smooth, soften and polish the edges by brushing them.
CLOTH WHEELS
All Paolo Vitale’s products, as for the edges, are rounded off through brushes (in cotton, wool or horsehair), high quality waxes or nutritious creams, depending on the type of leather used and the expected result. The aim is to protect the leather optimizing its qualities, shadings and brightness, lending pleasantness to the touch. Exotic leathers require more attention and many brushing procedures to get the best result. The brushing process in python leathers is made very slowly in order not to wreck the sloughs.
METAL CASTING
Following the moulding process, the same technique used in jewelleries, all metal components are smoothed, cleaned and rounded thanks to many sandblastings and polishing methods. Washings and spin cycles, with special shampoos for polishing and porous stones with different resistances, could last until 6 hour. The aim is to get a uniformed finishing and prepare these metal components to the final phase: Give the colour through precious metals. A further coat of paint is requested to get the best possible finishing and guarantee the resistance of these components to corrosion, scratches and avoid peeling effects. Each colour or paint is matched with the different styles, on the base of the expected result.