The founder
Portrait of Felice Franzi
Son of Rocco Franzi, Felice officially founded Valigeria Franzi in 1864 in Milan.
An ambitious and determined man, at
just twenty years old he transformed
his father’s small artisanal business
into a full-fledged factory, not only
for the production of suitcases and
trunks, but for all kinds of leather
goods.
In order to study new manufacturing
criteria, Felice invested in state-of-theart machinery and skilled labor
Felice had the brilliant insight
to combine the robustness,
functionality, and durability of
Italian leather craftsmanship
tradition with the sophistication
of overseas techniques.
Skilled craftsmen were hired from Austria
and France to train local workers and
achieve increasingly higher quality
standards at Franzi’s Milanese factory
Under Felice’s leadership, Valigeria
Franzi’s production quickly
reached an extremely high level
of perfection, both stylistically
and qualitatively, making Franzi
creations appreciated both in Italy
and abroad.
Among the most successful products introduced by Felice stood out the incomparable “Franzi suitcase”,
renowned for its new standards of craftsmanship and style.
The Franzi shop in Rome - Via Nazionale 197
In parallel with the industrial activity, Felice opened new stores in Milan and Rome, as well as international outlets in
Vienna and London.
Following his valuable work contributions, Felice
Franzi received several honors from the Royal House
of Savoy, eventually becoming a Grand Officer of the
Crown of Italy
In 1905, he was honored with the title of Knight of Labor for the Italian Republic.
In 1905, he was honored with the title of Knight of Labor for the Italian Republic.
