Luxury fashion brand Chanel recently acquired 20 percent of the capital of Florentine company Leo France from the Pinzauti family. Chanel has a history of acquiring or investing in artisan workshops to financially support those that otherwise might not have the resources to survive.

Luxury fashion brand Chanel recently acquired 20 percent of the capital of Florentine company Leo France from the Pinzauti family. Leo France is a Florentine company specialised in the production of jewellery and metal accessories, “with a 2023 turnover of 216 million, 45 million in profits and more than 300 employees“, per CPP Luxury. “The founders, Lorenzo Pinzauti and Franca Bertoli, have sold their shares to their children Leonardo, 56, and Francesca, 52 … who are managing directors. Lorenzo Pinzauti has remained president, while the board member appointed by Chanel is Jacques Marie Daniel Chenain.”

Leo France

Leo France has been producing costume jewellery, accessories, bags and leather goods for top international fashion brands for over forty years. Each collection starts from a careful study of materials and shapes, and leads to the creation of items that satisfy their customers. The family-run company has grown steadily over time and has now become an important reference point in the metal fittings industry, creating work for a number of small local firms and offering items of technical and stylistic high quality. It operates with a unique combination of skilled artisans and cutting-edge equipment and machines, to ensure the quality of the final product and to meet the needs of a dynamic market.

Chanel: protecting artisanal craft from extinction 

Coco Chanel recognised the importance of acquiring and investing in artisanal businesses while maintaining their independence and ability to work with other brands. The aim was to financially support the artisan workshops to save age-old artisan crafts from potential extinction, also ensuring that the luxury fashion industry has access to the fine craft skills on which their business depends.

Per a company report, “Throughout our history, we have set the trend for collaborating closely with artisans whose exceptional craft skills have been honed and inherited over many decades. By acquiring and investing in houses of traditional expertise, and forming partnerships, we are helping safeguard this cultural heritage in our supply chains… preserving and developing savoir faire for future generations.”

Chanel has invested steadily in the Maisons d’Art, building a portfolio of companies, under Paraffection, which means “for the love of.” By acquiring and investing in businesses in this way, both sides benefit. It provides the cash flow and professional managerial support for the workshops and small companies to innovate new techniques and also enables them to recruit and train skilled artisans. The workshops and firms retain creative independence and the ability to supply other luxury houses or create their own product line. At the same time, Chanel is directly connected to the craftsmanship that fuels creativity.

A prime illustration of this initiative is Maison Lesage, which became part of the House of Chanel in 2002, and is recognised worldwide as the guardian of embroidery art. Since 1992, Maison Lesage has been imparting its knowledge and techniques through its prestigious Parisian school. On an average, each year the school offers four hundred students the opportunity to discover a unique craft, which involves learning embroidery techniques and leveraging their skills to be used in Haute Couture. 

Per a company report: “We don’t intend to fund our acquisition forever. Our aim is to help the Maisons d’Art build economic resilience over time, so they eventually develop into sustainable, fully independent businesses with strong long- term potential. This is all part of the unique perspective we bring and our desire to create a virtuous circle: one that benefits the artisans, their communities.”

Métiers d’Art brings together the twenty-six artisanal maisons now owned by Chanel, including Lemarié: feather and flower maker; Maison Michel: hat-maker; Massaro: shoemaker; Lesage: embroiderer; Desrues (costume jewellery and buttons), Barrie (cashmere), Goossens: goldsmith; Atelier Montex: embroiderer; Causse: glove maker; Lognon: pleater; and A.c.t. 3: tweed producer. Their savoir-faire are at the heart of the Métiers d’Art collection held in a different city each year.