Italian Leather, LWG Gold Certified

The highest standard in sustainable leather — verified, not claimed.

For our leather collection, we work exclusively with Gruppo Mastrotto, an Italian tannery certified at the LWG Gold level. This is the highest environmental rating in the leather industry, awarded to fewer than 5% of tanneries worldwide.

What is LWG certification?

The Leather Working Group (LWG) is an international, multi-stakeholder organization that audits leather manufacturers on environmental and social performance. Founded in 2005, LWG is the most rigorous independent certification system for leather — trusted by leading luxury houses worldwide.

Tanneries are scored across categories including water and energy use, chemical management, traceability, and worker safety. The result is one of four ratings:

LWG Gold-rated tanneries demonstrate the highest measurable environmental performance: closed-loop water systems, traceable raw material sourcing, compliant chemical management, and verified worker protections. Our suppliers achieve this rating annually.

Why we chose Italian leather

Italy is to leather what Champagne is to sparkling wine: a country whose centuries of accumulated expertise simply cannot be replicated elsewhere. Its historic tanning districts have refined the craft since the Middle Ages — vegetable tanning, careful selection, hand finishing — and remain the benchmark for luxury leather worldwide.

Gruppo Mastrotto combines that centuries-old knowledge with modern environmental engineering. They use full-grain hides — the strongest, most beautiful part of the leather — sourced as a byproduct of the European food industry. Nothing is raised for hide alone.

From hide to handbag

The journey of a single Mariana Malni leather bag spans three countries and many hands:

The hide

Sourced as agricultural byproduct from European cattle, never from cattle raised solely for leather. Hides are graded for thickness, surface quality, and natural beauty before being accepted.

The tannery

At Gruppo Mastrotto, the hide undergoes a tanning process refined over generations. They use a combination of chrome-free vegetable tanning and traceable, regulated chrome processes where appropriate — always within LWG Gold compliance, which enforces the EU REACH restricted-substances framework and AZO-free dyeing. No banned azo dyes, restricted heavy metals, or prohibited chemicals are used at any stage of tanning. The result is a full-grain leather that ages with character rather than wearing out.

The cut and craft

In the UAE, our partner workshop Cuoio Italian Leather Industry cuts each piece by hand from the prepared leather, ensuring the most visually arresting sections of the hide become the visible faces of the bag. The grain pattern of every Mariana Malni leather bag is genuinely one-of-a-kind.

The finish

Hand-stitched, hand-edged, hand-finished. Hardware is set, lining is fitted, and final inspection ensures every detail meets our standards before the bag receives its dust bag and is sent to its owner.

The full specification

How leather ages, and why that matters

Genuine full-grain leather is one of very few materials that gets more beautiful with use. The natural oils from your hands, the gentle wear of daily carry, and exposure to ambient light all contribute to what leather collectors call patina — a softening of color, a deepening of warmth, a subtle character that no two bags will ever share.

This is why we choose full-grain over corrected or split leather. A bag finished with thick pigment or plastic coating will look perfect for a year, then crack. A full-grain leather bag, properly cared for, will look more beautiful in a decade than the day you received it.

Caring for your leather bag

Italian full-grain leather is durable but rewards thoughtful care:

• Wipe down with a soft dry cloth weekly to remove dust
• Condition lightly every 3 to 6 months with a neutral leather conditioner
• Avoid prolonged direct sunlight, which dulls natural color
• Avoid rain and humidity where possible; if wet, blot dry, never rub
• Store stuffed lightly with acid-free tissue in your dust bag
• Rotate use between bags to allow leather to rest and recover its shape

Explore the leather collection

Each silhouette in our line — Paget, Renen, Gestin, Pomana — is offered in both VEGEA and Italian leather versions, at parallel price points. The choice is yours: two materials, equal craft, the same uncompromising standard.