The people behind our Factory

The People Behind Our Italian Factory: Orazio’s Extended Family

The leather artisans at our Italian factory own the hands that touch the grain of our leather for the very first time. They skillfully carve, stitch and slice to create our impeccably built bags and accessories…

The factory is a hive of activity throughout the day with the production department starting at 8:00am, breaking for lunch from 12:00am till 2:00pm, and finishing at 6:00pm. This has been the routine for years. Our skilled craftsman are the key to Maxwell-Scott, as is their dedication to the role.

italian factory
italian factory
italian factory
Luisa & Patrizia
italian factory

Family is at the heart of Maxwell-Scott, with this mother-daughter duo key to the factory team. Luisa, the mother, began working at the factory in 1976. Her skilled talent encouraging a stunning 41 years dedicated to the creation of the finest leather goods. For the past 7 years, she has been able to share this joy with her daughter Patrizia.

Due to the vision of Orazio, there is a pattern of each generation investing in the business, evidently continuing his initial passion.

Their favourite product? Our beloved doctors bags – The Donnini Small 

Rosana
italian factory

At 79 years old, Rosana (Orazio’s sister in law) is the older lady working in the factory. Hard-work is her way of life. She says that it is a way of staying alive, being needed and feeling purposeful within her community. Her longevity within the role has made her indispensable, as her knowledge is now so vast and craftsmanship so precise.

It is the larger products such as the Flero or the Fiorella that Rosana particularly enjoys producing. She says that every product has a different way of manufacturing. Hence, she appreciations some products for the complex and technical way in which they are made and the work that therefore goes into them and others for their aesthetics.

“Our factory has grown from one generation to the next.”

italian factory
italian factory

With some machines from the 1970s still in use, but the whole factory powered by solar panels, it perfectly combines the sense of modernity with classical craftsmanship that drives us at Maxwell-Scott. There are some things that will never change, the fact that our artisans only work with real leather for example. Nevertheless over time the leather has improved, through better processing. And it is with this, and increasingly efficient manufacturing techniques, that our craftsman are able to specialise in the finest leather goods.

The factory, with its 14 workers, continues the dream of Ozario – to bring family and work together in harmony for years and years to come.

“The whole factory is powered by solar panels.”

italian factory

Paolo, Leather Cutter at our Scandicci factory for fifteen years.

He carves the leather into patterns to give our bags their unique shape. His hands only know the grain of a high quality, vegetable-tanned hide. They bear precision and confidence after years of learning from his father and grandfather. Only his meticulous eye and steady hand is trusted to get the most accurate pattern from the leather, creating a perfect canvas for our bags.

Woman hand crafting Italian Leather Luggage Bag

Amalia, Leather Craftworker at our factory for twenty two years.

For the entirety of her working life, Amalia has walked down the same cobbled street every morning to work at our factory – a ritual she has continued to love. Amalia looks after the finishing touches of our bags, ensuring they are in pristine condition before leaving the factory for England. She understands the form and design of our bags better than anyone.