In the seventies, Marco Pieri, a keen sailor, returned to Genova after a trip to South America. As a souvenir of his journey, he had bought two travelling bags made of genuine hide. Although they looked quite smart they had one shortcoming : they were very heavy.
The idea came to him in a flash! Why not use the strong leather in combination with the light-weight fabric used for sails ?

Consequently, in 1977, and initially as a hobby, the then 24 year old M.P. conceived and produced his first, coloured, light , strong bag collection.
A little later on, the creative and romantic bond he shares with Silvana , both his partner and wife, led him to decide to make a major change in his occupation : he would stop working at Panarello, the historic and renowned Pastry business established by his grandfather, and would devote himself only to the design and manufacture of leather goods.

Over the years, he has used the most varied materials in his collection : jacquard for ties (each pattern designed by himself), silk, velvet, brocade and the traditional ligurian Mezzaro ,a handpainted block prints, However always combining these fabrics with the leather he has loved since his youth!

Luckily, in Tuscany, Marco P. was able to find the high quality leather he requires in a few tanneries that still continue to tan hides with the very same traditional methods dating back to the beginning of the ‘800’s. It’s tanned with trunk and rind, chestnut and mimosa extracts and impregnated in wooden barrels without chemical additives. The leather produced in this way is unmistakable in it’s naturalness and distinctive, reassuring “leathery” smell.

However, Marco P. never abandoned his original idea of making use of sailcloth either and therefore a major role in the collection is also played by a high quality technical fabric : in fact, several Italian and international shipping companies have found it to be an ideal and appropriate link to their activities and commissioned items for their meetings, company gifts ( CoeClerici , Rina , Ansaldo ,Coscon) or just to dress yachts’ staff in a practical and elegant way ( Fraser Yachts worldwide-Newport).

Furthermore, M.P. has designed and produced personalized collections for Italian, European , American and Japanese companies amongst which:

• E. Marinella Napoli (the best Italian tie manufacturer ,dressing politicians, actors..)
• Duncan Quinn N.Y.C fashion design for menswear with shops in Nolita –N.Y.and Los Angeles
• Gonda Stolzle, an exclusive and refined shop for woman’s apparel in Hamburg-Germany.
• Super Planning –Tokyo , with a Marco Pieri tote bag in their last stylish collection.

Selling directly in his workshop and shop into the old centre of Genova gives to M.P more chance to satisfy his customers with new products; his last creation is a collection of personalized bags and accessories printed with his customers’ photos. Matching modern technology with high quality materials M.P makes a range of beautiful personalized items named “ a touching gift”.