Sketch
The first designs are drawn by hand in pencil, reworked until the shape feels right.
Craft & Materials
Worn first, then made
Les Tells handbags are shaped through wear before they go into production. The founder wore prototypes over the course of a year, studying how each form sat, balanced, and moved through daily use.
Only then did production begin in a third-generation family atelier in Scandicci, near Florence, working with Italian leather, recycled lining, and founder-designed hardware.
The fit is worked out before you ever carry it.
Hardware
Original hardware,
designed like jewelry
Built, not sourced
We developed custom hardware designed like jewelry: smooth, fluid forms featuring pincher and bar-and-ball piercings. The connector ring carries across the collection, creating a recognizable hardware language.
The pieces serve a functional role throughout the collection: connecting the straps, anchoring the rings, and taking the stress off the bag.
Clay
Shaped by the hands of the founder, the realized forms are used to study the design and style with the bags during in-house development.
Prototype
Reviewed for proportion, how the closure and strap work, and for a smooth, even surface across the piece.
Finish
The final metal finish is chosen for a jewelry-like look, how it ages, and how it pairs with each leather.
Materials
Materials chosen by hand for how they feel, hold structure, and perform.
The Leather
Sourced from Leather Working Group-certified Italian tanneries and selected for touch, finish, resilience, and natural variation. Full-grain leathers are chosen to soften with use, deepen in tone, and become more particular to the person carrying them.
The Lining
Each bag is lined in Italian recycled microfiber: soft to the hand, durable in daily use, and lower-impact by design.
The Wear
Leather is a living material. Small shifts in tone, texture, and softness are expected — part of the piece becoming yours.
Construction
The value is in what you don't see
Curves that follow you
Each bag is first shaped on custom wood molds in the atelier, bending with the body, not against it.
Reinforced where it carries weight
Extra support is built in where the bag takes the most weight over time.
Magnetic closures
Built into the flap of the leather so the bag opens smoothly under the hand. Nothing to catch or drag.
Hidden adjustable strap
Tucked inside the bag so you can adjust the length without changing how the outside looks.
Finishing
There is a moment when you pick up a bag and something simply feels right.
Not only the leather or the strap, but the quiet construction details you may not immediately notice. The edges are sealed smooth. The strap attachments and stress points are reinforced where the bag takes the most pull. The magnetic closures are hidden in the flaps, so they are smooth and easy to open. The hardware is durable yet still looks like jewelry.
Invisible to most, but every choice was deliberate. The first collection was worn by the founder for a year before production began, and those decisions are in every detail.
Small Runs, by choice
Produced in small runs to protect quality.
Independent and founder-led, Les Tells can keep production deliberately small. Join the list for release timing, materials notes, and first access before the pre-order window opens.
Ready to join?
By joining, you agree to receive emails from Les Tells. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.