Maps and ancient parchments printed on bags and suitcases, the watchword: go on an adventure with class and elegance. Oscar Wilde and Lord Byron, would certainly have used the suitcases and bags of Alviero Martini, if they already existed, during the Grand Tour.
It all starts with the "Grand Tour"
This fashion took hold from the early 700th century to the mid 800th century. It was about a journey, with destination Italy which made stops in France and Germany. The origins of tourism cultural arises from this experience that every young aristocrat and wealthy did to complete his human formation. Many were the travel notes of leading figures who lived this unforgettable experience. Impressions were born on our country that went down in history and made it known to the whole world.
Each vip, in addition to Oscar Wilde a George Byron, as Wolfgang Goethe, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, just to name a few of the most famous, has undertaken it. Only a century later, with Alviero Martini, the idea of travel became a lifestyle and a brand.
Alviero Martini's class
He made visible on accessories such as suitcases and bags, a lifestyle, a path, a symbol of who one is. Eclectic character, the stylist is from Cuneo, born in 1950. His studies are artistic and he completes them by specializing as a window dresser-fitter, he learns cutting and sewing by becoming a costume designer. To his credit he also has the actor's experience, so much so that he starred with Pier Paolo Pasolini and Vittorio Gasman. It is by setting up a shop window in the mid-80s, in Rome, that decorates a suitcase by gluing an old map to it. Hence the idea of launching a line of bags and suitcases that have geographical maps as their motif, the name? 1st Class, and it immediately became an international success.
Maps and ancient scrolls printed on the suitcases
A characteristic that becomes unmistakable, that of the printing of old maps on leather goods and accessories. The workmanship is unique and inimitable, the iconic map is handcrafted and colored reproducing the parchment of ancient geographical maps.
In the 90s, Alviero Martini designs, produces and manages the 1 ° Classe collection, opening several boutiques. The American press defines it style maker, namely the one who created a new concept of travel. In 1996 his boutique in Via Montenapoleone, hosts the Richard Gere exhibition, with 20 photographs of his trip to Tibet. The actor is notoriously Buddhist and has long been involved in the struggle for human rights. Proof that the designer is chosen by characters for whom travel is a significant experience. The following year, the UN commission assigns him the task of creating a dress for the award ceremony Time for Peace in New York.
ALV or: Going Far Traveling
In 2006, playing with his name, he launched the line ALV, initials of "to go far by traveling“, The background motif of the fabric are the passport stamps, which earned it the famous award The Look of the Year Fashion Awards in 2010, equivalent in the fashion oscar. Bags, accessories and clothes definitively become the symbol of those who love to travel and have an adventurous soul.
Alviero Martini, sponsor of Donna Avventura
Who has never seen the fantastic female travelers on the TV show Adventure Woman? In this cult series, six women adventurous (precisely) they document their experiences in distant countries, diving into crystal clear waters or exploring Japanese villages atop mountain ranges.
Hosted by the inhabitants of the most remote corners of the earth, the six girls challenge nature and the unexpected, dressing 1st Class and wearing the emblematic cowboy-style hat by Alviero Martini. A sponsor that makes you want to travel. So who wants to leave?