Weaving a Success Story
April 5, 2013
Text by Allegra Muzzillo
Anne Arnold and Stefano Bruni may not have set out to build a business together, but a mutual affection for woven leather transformed their fledgling relationship into a full-blown labor of love. Bruni and Arnold, he a Modena-born Italian, she from Connecticut by way of Virginia, met in 2009 when friends introduced them. Like many other couples, they soon acquired a puppyâa happy-go-lucky springer spaniel they call Lanceâwhose love and affection would eventually earn him their companyâs namesake. âAnne and I simply wanted to name the company Lance,â says Bruni. âBut we figured our title should represent what we do. We weave,â he adds, âand Lance is our inspiration.â
One might expect that Bruni, who is no stranger to the fashion world, would have startedâand stoppedâin creating the Norwalk-based companyâs signature woven-leather tote bags. He spent three years in the mid-â80s as a U.S. rep for Benetton, and in 1987, went on to tanning and selling high-end leather to fashion houses like Chanel, Coach, Gucci and Prada. In early 2011, as Bruni was looking to expand his existing leather-supply enterprise, his friend Peter Sallick (who runs the Danbury-based fixtures giant, Waterworks), suggested he consider moving into the home goods category.
âStefano never contemplated making a finished product with the leather he sold,â says Arnold. But one day, Arnold, who has a passion for home design, was inspired by an old swatch of woven leather Bruni had lying around. âI started imagining things Iâd like to do with it,â she says. âI had the idea that we could make beautiful woven-leather pillows.â
The couple started with prototype pillows for their own home. âFinally Stefano said, âWe have to stop all this creating and actually show these to someone,â â recalls Arnold. So in mid-2011, the couple took five versions to Bergdorf Goodman. Its buyer placed an order for their Drake pillow in a color they dubbed Luggageâwoven nappa leather in a purple-brown-and-rust plaidâon the spot. That August, the couple signed on for the New York International Gift Fair. âThat one show helped us to gain exposure and develop a loyal following,â says Arnold, counting retailers such as Space 519 in Chicago, Cavalier in San Francisco and Miamiâs ThreadCount among Lance Wovensâ firstâand currentâclients. From pillows, the pair quickly expanded their offerings to include totes of various kinds and upholstered furniture.
All Lance Wovens products are designed using calfskin, most often using a tanning process that results in the soft, supple material called nappa leather. The duo sketches new patterns on paper and determines colors âinstinctually,â Arnold says, by placing dyed swatches alongside one another. They start with natural leather for the soft, durable and ultra-versatile panels covering everything from their iPad cases to their supple pillows and upholstered benches.
Hides are sent to Southeast Asia, where theyâre cut into strips of varying lengths and widths. Some are dyed together in a vat, while others are hung individually and hand-stained before being woven. For some products, the weaving takes place first, then the pieces are hand-dyed using sponges or rags.
Designs are inspired by the familiar. âWe start with recognizable, iconic patterns like plaids and stripes,â says Bruni, âand interpret them in woven leather.â Pop art, everyday objects and the coupleâs clothing (a treasured cashmere scarf, Bruniâs favorite flannel shirt and even an old pair of Arnoldâs blue jeans) are cheekily riffed on to create their impossibly chic synthesis of unique colorways and practicality. The woven leather totes? âAn unexpected, playful alternative to a canvas boat tote,â says Arnold. And that Drake pillow? Itâs loosely based on Stefanoâs beloved scarf by Drakeâs London.
In just a year and a half, Lance Wovens has rolled out scores of products in eight different linesâfrom blankets to rugs to headboards. Now Arnold and Bruni are looking into working with non-leather materials such as jute, cotton and straw. Cashmere will be front-and-center for their first blanket collection.
The companyâs future plans also include a showroom in New York Cityâs design district.
As for Lance? Well, you might say heâs quality control. âEvery day he positions himself on our office sofa and lies on top of our pillows,â Arnold says with a laugh. âHe thinks theyâre pretty comfy.â â˘
Lance Wovens
Norwalk
(855) 852-6829
lancewovens.com
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