I read every single comment on this site and one of the reoccurring comments is readers looking for new brands. We all know the storied handbag brands and though many of us love them and come to this site for them, plenty also crave something new. We are handbag lovers after all and many times we want to be carrying and showing off a new brand. Plenty of new brands take the route of placing their bags on the arms on every influencer and celebrity they can, but there’s something so pure about the Massaccesi thread on tPF. This brand is relatively unknown however in our handbag loving corner of the internet, the dedicated Massaccesi thread has over 1,880 pages with over 28,200 responses. The fans of the brand believe in its bags and the founder so much that multiple members have implored me to share it with other handbag afficionados of the world. And with a brand that stays true to the craftsmanship roots, along with a founder whose passion in his works, I had to take a deeper look and share.
I’ve always said that our PurseForum members rank among the most knowledgeable in the handbag world. If you want to know something about a particular bag, go to our forum. Chances are not only do they know more than most, often they know more than many brands’ sales associates themselves. The same can be said on the brand Massaccesi.
Recently, the brand was facing the harsh reality of needing to stop production because of rising operational cost, especially in the manner they produce their bags. I wanted to learn more about the brand to share with you, so I reached out to founder Marco to ask him some questions as well as spotlight a new brand for you to discover.
Admittedly, Marco hasn’t spent a lot of money on fancy ad campaigns to showcase his designs. Personally I’d love to see his bags in person to touch, hold, and inspect – a bag in my hands does more, especially for a brand I don’t know, than simply reviewing online. What I can tell you is that thousands of forum members have become devout Massaccesi lovers.
The designs are clean and from the photos you can tell the leather is incredibly luxurious. The brand name can be spotted on the bags, but not in an in-your-face type of way. My personal favorites are the Aurora, Luna, Zhoe Legend, and Rua Angelica.
Tell us about how you got started in the handbag world:
I officially started working with my father in 1990, when I was 18. Actually I started learning how to work leather when I was still a baby. My father retired at the end of 2001 and I started managing Pelletteria Massaccesi at the beginning of 2002. At that time we were external manufacturers for some of the most famous Italian fashion designers and for 2 different companies specialized in bespoke handbags production. To create my own brand has been a sort of natural evolution of our technical growth other than our deep knowledge of all traditional skills needed to produce a high quality leather handbag. I know the fashion accessories market very deeply and I know how today it is ruled by twisted rules that I don’t share, so I’ve managed my Massaccesi company with a business philosophy that, since the very first day, has been somewhat unique. I’m totally convinced that profit can’t rule everything. There are some kind of crafts that can exist just if they’re built on an incredibly big love, passion and respect for what you’ve become able to do. It’s like a treasure that you receive, you take care of and you leave to your co-workers for the future. To work this way requires a total and deep devotion but I feel every day that each person who receives a bespoke bag from us somehow feels a bit of that devotion. I think that this is what makes Massaccesi so different and unique. Here at MM to make each customer proud to carry one of our bags is a sort of mantra. It’s our first rule, always. That’s why we take care of our customers 7 days a week, often even when here in Italy is late night. We have a profound respect of our customers so each little request, each detail becomes important to us and we do all that is possible to create what each woman expects from us, not what we want them to carry.
I’m totally convinced that profit can’t rule everything.
PB: You’ve faced financial hardships recently. Can you share a bit about that and your future plans?
I can’t hide that, from a financial point of view, my way of working is too “customer oriented” and not very profitable. This has limited so much the possibility to invest in marketing and our market raised extremely less than it could have done. During summer 2018 it seemed that there was no financial hope for MM and I was ready to close the company. When I announced that we had to stop accepting orders we received such a big quantity of orders from our customers that I had to put on hold any decision. Customers reaction has been so strong, intense and heartwarming that it became evident that it would have been crazy to stop such a fascinating and addictive project like my Massaccesi Handbags one.
Today I’m obviously still trying to find financial support for the company but MM customers support remains huge so it has been possible to restart creating new styles, to restart working on the website, to do a bit of marketing and to work on new interesting new projects for AW 2019-20 season.
Prices for the bags I saw are all under €500. Marco is offering PurseBlog readers a 20% off code until October 6th. Enter PURSEBLOG (all caps) at checkout to receive 20% off your order! Shop Massaccessi handbags at this link and keep in mind you can email Marco, [email protected], as he offers basic personalizations as well.
Looks like this brand’s bags are way better not just in looks but also colors and craftsmanship than some premium brands! The only premium brand that is hitting it out of the ballpark is Saint Laurent! Other brands’ recent bags are just meh! I am keen to know more about mAsacessi bags I’m goi g to check out the website. Thanks Megs for introducing it to your readers!
What a wonderful article! Thank you Megs for taking the time to highlight Massaccesi! I discovered him while reading the Purseforum and what drew me first was actually everyone’s passion and willingness to help with questions. Then once you begin customizing and discover his spectacular leather, as well as that he’s just an awesome human being, it’s hard to stop at one!
Purseforum member here. Definitely check out the thread and see what all our amazing Massaccesi bags are like. Pics do not do his bags justice. You just literally are unable to find customized handbags with this level of customer service at Massaccesi’s price point anymore. I have bags from Coach to Dior and his are truly the best value for money. We love his bags so much newcomers always think we are being paid to talk about them, but we certainly are not. We just genuinely think it’s an amazing brand!
Such a pleasure to read and great to see a post on a non-mainstream designer. Over the past years, I’ve gone through many bags from many brands and finally settled with understatement bags from Hermès. However, I was itching for something fresh and new that would not disappoint in quality like many other brands did, so by coincidence I stumbled upon the Massaccesi thread on tPF and I am so glad I did. Marco’s bags complete my collection. Not only am I able to choose between every colour and high-quality leather imaginable, I am also paying an incredibly fair price for a unique, hand-made bag that I am even able to customize according to my needs and wishes. This is exceptional, especially when considering the quality and service I receive for the amount I pay. I’ve also gifted Massaccesi bags to family and friends and they all became hooked. For everyone not into showing off logos, I highly recommend taking a look at Marco’s offers. The bags may not be ready in 3 days (again, they are handmade and Marco’s workshop is small, it’s a family business), but so worth the wait every time.
Thanks so much Megs for highlighting Marco’s wonderful bags! I have been a devoted fan for at least 3 years now; all my bags are Massaccesi. And yes, the tpf Massaccesi community is strong in our support. Bespoke Italian creations for under $600! A truly dedicated artist who handles each order personally! Hundreds of possible combinations of style, leather, lining and hardware! I can’t say enough. Although I want Marco to succeed, I do kinda like that not everyone knows, less competition for his talents, but I digress. Thanks again Megs
I live in Italy and I obviously love bags so it breaks my heart that I’ve never heard of this brand! My husband’s cousin bought a new bag today…and it’s Michael Kors! Sooo many Italians are obsessed with MK when for the same money they could get a stunning bag from one of the Italian houses like Massaccessi or Del Giudice (another Italian brand I found out about on purseblog when their lab is literally 1km from my house). This is not OK!
Italy.. the most beautiful vacation spot in the world! Rome, Florence and Venice! I can’t wait to go back! (Sorry, I digress this blog is about handbags). 🙂
I was in Firenze last July. I wished I had more time to just look at some of the other Italian stores.
I know! They are all more beautiful than I expected!
Sorry, on purseforum not purseblog. But hopefully they will share this brand too one day
I’ll check it out!
I found this brand four years ago and love the ability to “create” a custom bag. The interaction with Marcos is lovely. His attention to detail is amazing. Edge painting; custom lining colors; 4 hardware choices, and 100 plus leathers to choose from.
Seriously dangerous for a dithering Gemini for sure!
The thing that I have found wonderful is his willingness to customize if he feels it does not jeopardize his design. Amazing!
Personal communication from the designer. Amazing! If you don’t know what to order.. just shoot off an email. Marco will help you. Crazy and Amazing!
Do his bags have longevity i.e. are they durable? Also, what does the leather feel like? Is it soft? It would be great to feel and see them in person prior to purchasing.. Thx!
Dara. Marco offers a variety if leathers. The merinos is soft and smoochy. Verona is my newest personal favorite. These are both very durable. I have my first purse that I bought for him and the only wear is to the “feet”. His vachetta is a firmer, heavier leather with beautiful texture and patina. He virtually has a leather for everyone. Then to make matters worse, he offers special limited run leathers. I was a 2 purse girl ( winter and summer) until I found Marco. To say that I’m smitten is an understatement. He does send out leather samples if you want to “feel” them. On his website, the various types are listed. He is also so accommodating, he knows that I like soft leathers… when I want to try something new, he lets me know if he thinks it will be a fit. Can you believe that? We have a customization thread on TPF that discusses the leather types. And did I mention the special leathers? And yes.. very durable..
Julie: Thank you for answering my question and providing so much more information! I greatly appreciate it!
Isn’t she wonderful? I love her (I have gotten to know her a little bit through our mutual love for Massaccesi!). Here are a few resources:
Main Massaccesi tPF thread: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/massaccesi-handbags.878845/
Customization Massaccesi thread: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/massaccesi-leather-customization-reference-thread.975530/
Thread just to ogle at bag pics: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/our-massaccesi-handbags-reference-pictures-only-no-chatter.908113/
Recent blog: https://www.marcomassaccesi.it/blog-1
Older blog: http://fortheloveofmassaccesi.blogspot.com/
Thank you! So sweet of you! Yes, I thought Julie was a very nice, kind person!
It’ so great to see a post about Massaccesi! Thanks, Megs! I love my MM bags. I still have bags from 11 years ago when Marco made them for another company and they are in great condition. Once he branched out on his own, I jumped onboard. I have quite a few of his designs, but my favorite MM bag is the Zhoe. It is timeless, can be dressed up or down and fits all the essentials. Marco sources fabulous leathers. His pebbled leathers wear like iron and his nappa is so versatile. His vacchetta is tdf! (He made me fall for vacchetta. I never liked any until I saw his.) It’s hard to buy a bag without seeing it irl, but Marco is happy to email pictures and even mail leather/color samples. I could go on and on, but it’s best to go to our Massaccesi thread and ask questions. We love helping each other out. There is always another beautiful MM bag to talk about and buy. 🙂
I have been buying Massaccesi bags since he started his own line in 2014. Previously he was making bags for another brand that I purchased for close to 10 years. His quality, leathers and customer service is second to none. It is amazing that I can buy a beautiful bespoke Italian leather bag customized to my exact needs and wants for a very reasonable price with no compromise on quality. I used to buy premium brands but once I found MM I knew that his bags were something special. It is wonderful supporting a 3rd generational Italian handbag maker who makes his bags the old fashioned way one bag at a time. The MM thread on tpf is a wealth of information and everyone is incredibly helpful. Thanks Megs for writing a great article highlighting the MM brand.
Are the bags “handmade” if they are sewn by machine? I don’t know, just asking.
I have been hooked on Marco’s bags for over a year now. It’s so addicting to find a style, leather color and texture, then decide what color hardware and lining goes best. Need extra pockets, no problem. Need longer or shorter straps, great. His metallics are so luscious and wear wonderfully. Sometimes when I can’t decide I colorblock leathers with Marco’s help so get to try 2 at the same time and really create a statement bag. Wish him continued success.
I was looking to update my handbag collection but couldn’t find a brand that ticked all the boxes for me, in terms of style, practicality, quality of leather and variety of colours, with my preferred gold hardware. I posed this question on TPF and was introduced to Massaccesi. It has only been a year and half and I have now replaced my Prada, Gucci, LV and Mulberry bags with MM bags! I honestly can’t imagine purchasing anything else. Where else can you customise your own handbag with the designer himself, selecting gorgeous leathers in an array of delicious colours, even altering the handles/straps to suit you, at such a reasonable price point?! The MM thread at TPF is a fantastic resource for anyone overwhelmed by all the choices and has helped me hone my perfect collection. Whilst I love carrying such a niche brand, I really hope to see Marco get the recognition he so deserves.
While most companies would claim customer happiness it their main priority, Marco actually lives by that motto. For the price of bags not a whole lot higher than Coach/MK/Kate Spade etc you would get a one-of-a-kind bespoke creation, made with love, just for you, in seriously some of the most incredible leathers out there. Ever since discovering MM, my standards for what one can get leather quality-wise have become incredibly high and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Terrific post, Megs. I’ve been interested in Massaccesi bags for a few years, but I never went any further than browsing the selection on his web site. After reading your post and the many positive comments, as well as the comprehensive tPF threads, I returned to the Massaccesi web site and found a bag I simply *had* to own. But it wasn’t available in the leather I wanted. So I wrote to Marco, and he could NOT have been more gracious and accommodating. Within the space of two days, he and I had sorted out a completely customized bag. I am thrilled.
I thought this was another sponsored article. I’m glad I opened it. I never clicked the thread on this brand whenever I’m on the forum because I didn’t think much of it. I’ve dreamed of starting a company/service where you could customize bags because I didn’t know this already existed. I’m excited to place my first order!
Just wanted to pipe in. I’ve been a MM fan for years… got out my stash today and looked at my first bag from Marco. It is a soulmate midi in black merinos. The leather and edge painting is still perfect. The feet have a little wear and they are before Marco started using larger “feet”. So glad I looked at the old gal… just in time for winter!
Just received two beautiful Massaccesi bags (large black tote and eggplant colored shoulder bag) and although they are lovely I can’t keep them. Anyone out there interested? I can definitely negotiate on price!
So sad that Marco is closing the shop. He had made so many beautiful bags.
Wishing him well and praying for his health