Leaving your mark in a world of Giants

Blog / Leaving your mark in a world of Giants

Creating fashion in a world dominated by big brands is like walking in shifting sands. In a race to reach the customers heart, the established names have too much of a head start as they can be recognized even without being looked at. Their logos are a shortcut to earn our trust and we often end up believing in the brand rather than the product they sell us.

The brazen who then choose to establish their own brands and be independent must work tirelessly to carve out their own path. This is a silent and quiet process but one filled with determination and preservation.

The Ambra Bag by Marina Lorenzi. 100% Italian calfhide-leather, 18k-gold plated accessories, made 100% in Italy

I chose to create from a young age. It wasn’t some rational decision or thought process but rather a calling, an inner expression that always accompanied me. Since I was a child, I’ve tried to turn everything into a tangible form: ambiguous things like gestures and observations were turned via composition into drawings and meanings. This was my way of filling the world around me.

"Working in fashion means you must affirm your voice each and every day amongst the ever louder noise from the more visible brands. But amongst those giants, I chose to be different. I chose to not chase the noise and to instead leave a quiet and lasting mark of my own."

Fashion always surrounded me as I then grew up. My father was a leading figure and entrepreneur in the clothing industry and his work was integral in my upbringing. I loved him and his work and I absorbed its essence with an observant eye and in silence. But it wasn’t long before my gaze wandered and I knew that my pursuit had a parallel but different goal from his.

The handbag. A simple container object yet one that has its essence elevated through its architectural form. It escapes the accessory nature that its creator infused it with to become a structure and presence that expresses the inner workings of its wearer.

In my pursuit of finding my own voice and expressions, I trained at the Instituto Marangoni which is one of the most prestigious fashion schools in the world. There I learned how even in the most creative processes, a strong will and strict discipline is required to give ideas the truly elegant forms that they require to endure time.

My time there also opened the doorways to the structured companies of the industry. From more niche brands to the major fashion houses of the world, my time spent with them left me with priceless lessons about the workings of the industry. But I could feel my inner creativity leaving my soul in the process and I realized that my inner voice was becoming lost in the harmony and choir that these large companies demand. I decided that if I wanted to truly leave my own mark in fashion, then I must fight my way out day in and day out.

I built my own brand not out of hopes that someone would chose my bags out of passive trust but rather because they recognize themselves in my designs and can feel seen. While the big brands set the rules with their visibility and status, more and more women are walking away from them in pursuit of a conscious choice. They seek stories and history over a display of power and want to know about the person behind the design, the materials chosen and how its final shape was achieved. My brand isn’t just my story but also a voice to talk to these women.

My work starts in a quiet way. It first takes the form of constant research, tracking trends and traveling to international fairs to conduct market analysis. I then look for beauty in the world around me – an unexpected symmetry, a curve in the streets or sometimes some unique architectural proportions. While these may not transform instantly into a handbag, these experiences accumulate like snow in the quiet mountains and all it takes is that one spark of inspiration in the middle of the night to cause these to avalanche into a vision. Some of my bags are born in those dreams where I see colors and details that blend once I wake. I take these expressions and visions with gratitude as a gift from beyond. That vision is then transformed into a drawing and then a product comes into existence as a craftsman shapes it. At that point, it becomes a beautiful shell, waiting for its owner to breath life and further its story.

The Marina Lorenzi bags don’t require a logo. They should always remain recognizable by their structure, coherence and quiet precision. Pieces crafted to last with living leathers that transform over time so that anyone who knows the value of detail can sense their worth. With every fold, unexpected curve and elegant accessory, I hope to express that there are no flaws but only signs of life – for every bag must transform with its owner, living the life of the woman who wears it.

Sketches of the Zada, Ambra and Emelda bags by Marina Lorenzi

My brand wasn’t meant to be a opposition to the giants of the fashion but rather a real and genuine alternative. It cannot imitate the big names and must instead offer the authenticity, intimacy and truth that they cannot give.

Working in fashion means you must affirm your voice each and every day amongst the ever louder noise from the more visible brands. But amongst those giants, I chose to be different. I chose to not chase the noise and to instead leave a quiet and lasting mark of my own.

In the process of converting my passion into words, I realize that my path never had a precise beginning. Its like a string of thread that is being woven into the tapestry called fashion, with each memory, experience and vision adding my own twist to it. Maybe it is something that I’ve carried with me since the day I was born, maybe it was something that I’ve carried over from other lives. Regardless though, if one woman can stop and, amongst the thousands of handbags in the world, look and choose my designs – not because of trends or because she saw it somewhere else but rather because she feels that its design was true to her – then I know that I have left my mark amongst the giants.

I dream that one day this mark will grow with my name and brand. Hopefully it will come to be desired, recognized and respected like the fashion icons I admire today. But I swear to never forget where I started and why I chose to do things my way.