DADAPUTÌA was born from a chance encounter that was more than just that – it was an encounter that sparked mutual recognition and respect that then blossomed with inspiration and passion.
When we, Francesca Ferrara and Ernesto Graditi, first met, there was an instant mutual understanding that we shared the same perspective towards the world around us. The gaze that sees beauty in detail, the sensibility to find strength in historical roots and a feeling for poetry that is told through shapes and forms. It wasn’t long before we agreed to weave a tale of fashion through the lens of the land of Sicily where we were born in and grew up in. The theatrical and fickle lighting that envelops the city , the majestic architecture that tells of both times past and present and the artisanal heart that has been cultivated by generations of artisans that is now engraved in our DNA.
The Futuristic Kelly by DADAPUTÌA. Silky matte Italian calfskin leather. 18-karat custom clasp and accessories.
Through our dialogue, we eventually agreed on 4 pillars of artistic inspiration: Design, Art, Dress, Architecture and the initials of those inspirations became the acronym of our brand name DADA. These four concepts are like the four directions of the compass and they guide every gesture and drawing in our work. Design is the medium and is like the needle that points north. Art is an emotional compass, allowing us to reinforce our work with a more emotional touch. Dress represents fashion which we think is the language that we speak to translate these intangible emotions and ideas into beauty. Architecture is the structural frame that grounds our work and helps us transcribe the beauty around us into an eternal piece of art.
to me, the PUTÌA guards the most intimate part of our Sicilian souls and lives
The second part of our brand name “PUTÌA” is a word that only exists in Sicily. It’s a dialect word that means small shop but it’s more than just a small shop. I often remember talking with friends in the PUTÌA around the corner – they’re almost like a theatre of life as people go there to drink coffee, shop and socialize. They’re a place where hands work quickly, where voices intertwine and knowledge and wisdom quietly passed from generation to generation. Each trip to a PUTÌA was a trip of encounters and of authentic community. That’s why to me, the PUTÌA guards the most intimate part of our Sicilian souls and lives. With that in mind, we adopted the word into our brand name in the hopes that our brand too could become like the PUTÌA and join that world of slow gestures, filled with the rich smell of wood and leather but most importantly, where laughter and advice could be freely exchanged around a workbench.
This is the essence of DADAPUTÌA, the marriage of modern concepts directed by the acronym DADA and a space for the soul like the PUTÌA where different disciplines intertwine to give life to creations that combine history and future into one. DADAPUTÌA is a declaration of identity, an act of love for our roots and a story that takes shape in every line and detail in every bag.
FRANCESCA: I would not be the designer I am today without my roots. I was born in Palermo, in Sicily, a living mosaic of cultures, colors, and traditions. As a child, I was surrounded by beauty: my mother designed coral jewelry, the so-called “red gold” of the Mediterranean, which she combined with embroidery, lace, and pearls, turning them into small masterpieces. Her tireless search for precious objects, unique fabrics, and rare materials taught me that creativity is, above all, attention to detail. With my father, instead, I loved strolling through the city. When the sun set, Palermo lit up in fiery red: domes shone like liquid gold, Byzantine mosaics reflected an eternal light, and I was learning to look at the world with eyes full of wonder. Every step was a silent lesson: Palermo was not just my city, it was the cradle of my dreams. My father used to tell me that dreams, if you truly believe, become reality. And today, every one of my creations carries with it a fragment of those memories.
ERNESTO: My love for fashion and design comes from afar, from a family tradition that has always had craftsmanship and creativity at its beating heart. My grandfather was a skilled shoemaker, my mother created bobbin lace, my aunt and grandmother sewed alongside other seamstresses: our home was a true Sicilian putìa, a workshop filled with threads, fabrics, and patterns. As a child, while my friends played football, I would lose myself watching the cut of a dress, the colors of fabrics, the dance of female hands transforming threads into wonder. It was as if my eye already had a natural predisposition: instinctively suggesting color combinations, matches, details. “You could never have done anything else,” my mother and uncle used to say. Maybe they were right. Over time, this passion turned into vocation. I also lived far from Sicily, in Canada and the United States, but even there, with my collection of accessories, I carried Sicilian tradition with an international sensibility. Sicily was, and still is, my secret language, my deepest identity.
We see Sicily almost as if it were a key to the creative world. We are obviously not the first to be enchanted by the beauty of this island. Goethe, who arrived here in 1787, wrote: “Italy without Sicily leaves no image upon the soul. Here lies the key to everything.” For us, it truly has allowed us to spread our wings as it gave us the courage to dare and to bring a brand born in the alleys of Palermo onto international runways and markets. This island and its history taught us to believe in beauty even when it seemed marginal, to transform limits into creativity.
The Futuristic Kelly Bag by DADAPUTÌA
Both of us at DADAPUTÌA see Palermo, Sicily as a school of life and beauty. What we didn’t know growing up is that we were in a treasure trove of senses as the smell of the street food mixes with the sound of the church bells and the colors of the red sunset over the Conca d’Oro. Its more than just a hometown for the two of us. Growing up in the colorful streets, we didn’t realize that every detail and contrast in the city’s streets were already teaching us how to look upon the world through a designer’s lens. Every Arabic Dome, every Byzantine mosaic and every Baroque balcony was a silent masterclass: they taught how beauty is never univocal and instead is made of layers of harmonies and differences. Palermo taught us not only to design but also how to live and the resilience we learned here through the city’s fall and rise have given us the ability to mix cultures and harmonize contrasts like nowhere else. Our greatest takeaway was that beauty isn’t a sterile decoration but rather a living experience that dwells and evolves within us while transforming our gaze.
Every bag from DADAPUTÌA carries these lessons in their design philosophy. They are not just accessories but a narration of who we are, where we come from and where we want to go. DADAPUTÌA has transformed from just a brand into a way of our lives. It is proof that beauty can be authentic and visionary at the same time. With the conviction that Palermo and Sicily can be a key to creativity for everyone, we continue to imagine the future. We could not have designed what we design with the materials we chose and imbued the beauty that we seek into each bag without this land. At DADAPUTÌA we hope to dare every object that comes from our hands to become a treasure chest of stories, starting with a breath of our home island. In the “Palermo Map” bag, there lies engraved, drawn and told this history, ready to carried with you like a jewel of memories.
Francesca Ferrara and Ernesto Graditi
In this design lies our bond which is a love for everything that made us who we are. The engraved map of the city isn’t just a detail, its an identity transformed into a design – a way of carrying our city in your heart wherever you go. Every line engraved tells a story, every groove a memory and every intersection an emotion. The colors of the leather chosen represent the different colors of the city: the green of the majolica domes, the écru of fabrics blowing in the wind, the warm brown of stones, the deep blue of the sea, the precious gold of mosaics. This isn’t just an homage but rather a poetic act turning geography into emotion and memory into form.
Palermo is a kaleidoscope of chromatic emotions: the sun lighting up the golden stones of palaces, the deep green of Mediterranean gardens, the blue of the sea caressing the city, the red of sunsets inflaming the alleys. It is the black of Baroque shadows, holding mystery and elegance, and the gold shining in Byzantine mosaics, symbol of an eternal light. It is a representation of what we are today and a peak into what we hope the future will bring for us and everyone who may carry this bag.
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