Interview: Carlos Falchi – Artist and Designer
Published on November 14th, 2008.
PB: You’ve really established yourself as a designer of our time who really is known for exotics. People go to you when they are looking for a great exotic bag.
CF: Right. I started with leather, and when I used to go to look for leathers, I would buy a bunch of pieces at a time. One time, I was going through the leather I just bought and at the bottom I found a folded up piece of snakeskin and thought, “Oh my god!” – that’s really how I got turned onto exotic skins. I hand-painted them, turned it into belts. But my leather guy didn’t have snakeskin scraps, he had to give me a name of someone else who cut boots out of crocodile and ostrich. So I would grab pieces and start my collage – all from pieces left over from the boots. Absolutely my treasure! And to this day, people make fun of me because I still hold onto all the scraps and try to use each piece.
PB: You use everything, nothing goes to waste?
CF: That’s right – nothing goes to waste. That is all how this became a business.
PB: This is your American Dream?
CF: Absolutely! Only in America. I thought I was only coming for one year, but I came to stay.
PB: Do you have a particular philosophy you use when it comes to your creations?
CF: I love art, I paint, but I think the main thing is to be able to transform everything into something else. I look at everything and see something else. All along it has been that way – the colors, the textures – the evolution of the materials. We like to push to the limit – constantly working to turn something into something else. I still make my own patterns and bags – I still do all that. I sit and stitch, hammer, work with the material. That is my pleasure I love doing it.
PB: Could you imagine yourself doing anything else?
CF: No. Here’s the thing, leather gets in your blood. Talk to anyone who works with leather, a shoemaker, whoever, leather gets into your system. I feel like it goes back to when man used to cloth himself. I guess I am prehistoric.
PB: NYC is also part of your blood?
CF: Yes, I love the energy that is here. Everything, the walking, the things there are to see, everything can be an inspiration. You don’t need to go too far.
PB: Do you still get to get home to Brazil?
CF: Not as much as I’d like, but I do go whenever I can. But, I have to go to Europe a lot. But NYC is my home.
PB: Your connection to Bendel’s is still thriving?
CF: Yes, it is still very strong. It is a different Bendel now, but still very involved.
PB: What are three things you can’t live without?
CF: Pair of scissors. I don’t need much, my colors, my dyes. It would be my work for sure, but obviously my babies, my daughters – 22 and 24. I guess they aren’t quite babies, but they are still my babies.
PB: Are they following a similar path?
CF: Yes, one of them is here with me – doing painting – doing her Masters at Parsons. I didn’t force, I didn’t ask, it just happened. And the other one works for Estée Lauder, she is a colorist and really loves it.
PB: Thank you very much Carlos, we really appreciate you taking your time to chat and show us around!
This is the best interview yet!!! Thank you so much
Thanks for doing this great interview! and do you happen to know how much the painted python bag on page 3 costs?? And where I can lay my hands on one? Even my boyfriend who was next to me reading a mag said.. “whoa.. WOW thats great.”
Evster, the hand-painted bag you mentioned costs $1570 (all thumbnails are clickable for more info!). Inquire here for availability:
http://www.carlosfalchionline.com/contactus
I met Falchi at a personal appearance at Neiman’s in the DC area. He was a very lovely person and the bags are beautiful. For the price though, I would have expected a suede lining. The quality of the Jimmy Choo exotics is comparable and better constructed imo for the same price.
It’s good to see a talent from my country doing so many beatiful things. It’s a pity he doesn’t come to Brazil as much anymore.
jane, while I appreciate your input, I will tend to rather side with the word of a person I actually met, instead of a comment posted anonymously.
Jane –
I will follow up and look into it. I don’t see why anyone would lie… I really do not think he would, but I will ask. Where did you get your info from?
Thank you for publishing this lovely interview! Mr. Falchi did a line that he marketed on QVC about 10 years ago and I used to love watching him make his personal appearances. He was so creative and entertaining and gracious. In those years there may not have been so much pressure from the tv shopping channels for their high-end designers to cut cost corners for the mass market. I splurged and purchased an amazing all shearling Carlos Falchi bag from QVC. It was a limited edition — pure, undyed, untreated shearling. Imagine a huge pouch with the shearling fur on the inside and the “raw” suede on the outside. Fabulous! Alas, it was an enormous bag and I ended up selling it just a few years ago. Thanks for the memories….!
great interview! – love his way of using everything and let nothing go to waste
I had the opportunity to meet Carlos in person and he is everything as you have described him – a first class professional and a wonderful person. His handbag products are to die for, and he manages to cover various price ranges, from microfiber to exotics.
i love the interview. got to know the designer that i love so much. the bags are awesome, and i would love to win one, since money is so tight, and i could use is desperately!!!!! please, pleae, please………
It seems he was really put on earth to do what he does. You can understand it from the passion with which he speaks and the amount he gets involved. I would prefer to give money to buy one of his bags than one from a massive house with a huge production line.
Hi! I recently purchased my first Carlos Falchi bag from Neiman Marcus. It is the crushed lamb poof bag and it is absolutely to die for. Such a gorgeous piece of art. About 4 or 5 years ago, I passed on a motorcycle bag that I saw on the Neiman’s catalog. That bag has haunted me for years. Since becoming a member of the purse forum, I have collected Louis Vuitton extensively. However, after finally taken the plunge to the Carlos Falchi crushed lamb, I have decided to branch out and discover other fabulous designers. Thank you purse forum Meg and Vlad for publishing this interview! Veronika
What a fascinating man and interesting interview……thank you!
Great interview!The bags are very beautiful!!!! thank you Vlad and Meg!!!
I enjoyed this interview. Among other things, it reminded me why I love the art of the handbag… and stories of success, too!
A truly inspiring story! I love his handbags!
He is an artist, whose canvas is his handbags
Great interview; thanks to Megs and Vlad for sharing this! I really admire that Carlos Falchi does not stray from his humble beginnings of using scraps to make art/handbags. What a true artist and a true ‘green’ capitalist!
I just wanted to share some first hand info about Carlos. I have worked for him for a few years and he is a wonderful man. An incredible designer- with an amazing eye and full of creativity! The office is a family environment- and always full of fun! He really wants everyone to enjoy their job, treats them great, has a wonderful family– and it makes you want to work even harder! Not to mention the bags are beautiful- and made right here in our office! It is so cool- and I think everyone should have a CF bag- it is $$ well spent and you will have it for the rest of your life! I hope everyone gets to meet him someday!
Salve Carlos!
Since those difficult days in the seventies there was no doubt about your talent and sucess.
After years rediscovering Brasil in Porto Seguro, I´m back in Rio organizing the ARCHIVOS IMPOSSIBLES for a retrospective expo. Some photos of that atelier in Madison Ave. will be on. Would like to re-contact you personally. please send e-mail/tel. Abração