Timeless. Italian. Style. Fall Winter 2017/18
Style is a feeling. For those who aspire to elegance. Those who move with a quiet confidence that never needs to be spoken because it comes from within. It s personal. Honest. Timeless. It doesn t come from the pages of a magazine or the boardrooms of designer labels. It is born of inspiration. From nature. From the beauty and strength of women who embrace rich, full lives. And the silent passion that drives every woman to look, feel and be her best. It comes to life through the sure, worn hands of skilled craftswomen, patiently fashioning cashmere fibers into distinctive, versatile apparel. It lives in supple leather accessories made in workshops using time-honored techniques refined over generations. And for Laura Laureto, it comes from the soul of Italy. From the rugged, sun-drenched coasts of the south to the cool, ageless lakes of the north. From the flowing fields of Umbria to the rolling hills of Tuscany the heart of the Italian apparel industry. It flatters. It endures. It embraces a woman s passion for living well. And you ll find it in every piece we make. Laura Laureto. Timeless. Italian. Style.
Laura Laureto The romance of Italy, told through design Overlooking a marvelous panorama, observing the grace and the sweetness of the Tuscan landscape where everything is kind, ancient but always new, a girl watched the sunlight dance across the hills. For Laura Laureto, Tuscany was a land of eternal inspiration. From dawn to dusk, in all seasons, she walked among the artful designs created by nature. Patterns came to life. Elegant lines and curves. Subtle shades and textures. And to this day, the timeless soul of Tuscany breathes life into every one of her designs. Laura s early design education came from her family in Naples, where she grew up, learning traditional garment-making techniques alongside her mother and aunt. But her passion led her down her own path early on. At sixteen, she moved to Tuscany, attending a school of fashion design Piero della Francesca. But it was Mauro Cantarelli - an entrepreneur with an ageless wisdom befitting his white beard and hair - that recognized Laura s true talent as a designer. Laura began to design tailor-made clothing recognized throughout the world as a symbol of comfort quality and impeccable style. Her love for timeless Italian design brought her to the Cantarelli company near Cortona, Italy. In Cantarelli she transformed a dream to reality. For any designer, it was a dream come true yet Laura still dreamed of more. More than just fancy magazine ads. More than just rushing to meet deadlines for seasonal collections. Laura s first love was always the timeless beauty of Italy from the shimmering Amalfi coast, to the playful red poppies peeking through the tall grass in Tuscany and Umbria. And that s why the label that now bears her name, also bears the spirit, romance and beauty that will always be Italy.
Lisa Lehner An exceptional journey, a beautiful destination The best things in life are earned. Never given. That s what Lisa Lehner learned early on, watching her grandmothers create fine knitwear and needlework by hand, using old-world techniques handed down from their immigrant ancestors. It demanded skill. Patience. Love. And in return, produced a product of unparalleled quality. For a lifetime, the garments made by her grandmothers have had a place in Lisa s personal wardrobe, always reminding her that achieving something exceptional, often demands an exceptional journey a journey requiring risk and courage. Lisa s own journey took her to law school, where the same traditional values she learned from her grandmothers helped her launch a legal career that has spanned the last quarter century. Over the years, serving as a corporate attorney, she built valuable experience and perspective on life and business. Her curiosity and adventurous spirit led her on many journeys to Tuscany and Umbria, where she rediscovered the expressive beauty of fine, handcrafted products like those she remembered from childhood. In the timeless artistry of skilled Italian craftswomen, working in intimate, family-owned workshops, she saw that the proud, inspiring spirit of her grandmothers was alive and well. She saw it in their strong, nimble hands. In how they handled rich fabrics with care and respect. And in the fine materials they used to create works of enduring beauty. At that moment, Lisa came to realize that her journey had, in fact, brought her to a destination: a place where the beauty of old-world craftsmanship would meet the potential of modern business savvy. A place of opportunity and inspiration.
A beautiful dream. In any language. While other tourists visited museums and beaches, Lisa Lehner scoured the Italian countryside seeking out obscure textile workshops and off-the-grid apparel factories. But Lisa hadn t come to Italy just to buy clothes. She was looking for something. Something real. Something authentic. Something that was beautiful because it was made that way not made to look that way. At the Cantarelli showroom and design office near Cortona, Italy, Lisa approached a young designer to ask for details on the garments. Immediately, something about this young woman struck her. It wasn t how she explained how each jacket was constructed, down to the last detail. It wasn t how she described the selection of fabrics, or how the garments were made by skilled craftswomen with generations of experience. It was the strength, courage and earnest passion that came through in every word, every expression and every smile. For Lisa, it served as reminder of what had brought her to Italy in the first place. And at that moment, she realized all the things she had been looking for were right in front of her in a bright, talented young designer named Laura Laureto. In that fateful meeting, the ocean of differences that separated these two women ceased to exist. The years melted away. Unique backgrounds, traditions and upbringings were stripped away to reveal common values and an unspoken understanding that transcended the language barrier. Through their friendship, they realized that, deep down, they both shared the same dream. And that dream in any language is beautiful. Today, Laura and Lisa have a friendship that spans the Atlantic, and so much more. The Laura Laureto brand embodies the commitment to authentic style and craftsmanship that both women hold dear. And even in an age when a label is often a substitute for real quality that s all our label will ever stand for.