Serapian to open second store in Tokyo in October as customer numbers rise in the US and Italy

The historic Milanese luxury leather goods house Serapian continues to prioritise Japan, following the unveiling of its Spring–Summer 2027 collection within the iconic interiors of its Milan residence, Villa Mozart, via an immersive, multi-sensory installation created in collaboration with Dimoregallery.

“The presentation is conceived as a love story centred on the passions of an art collector: her home — curated to the last detail and caught at the very moment its owner, a woman of Milanese high society in the 1930s–40s, has rushed out — is transformed into the ideal stage to celebrate Serapian’s new creations,” says Maxime Bohé, the French CEO of this prestigious brand, which has been wholly owned by the Swiss luxury giant Richemont since August 2017, speaking to FashionNetwork.com.

“And indeed, ‘Absence, Poetry’ is the title chosen for the installation — an interior that feels alive even when empty — because this enigmatic Milanese woman appears to be a great art collector in love. Dimoregallery has therefore selected the finest design pieces from that era. There are works by Portaluppi, Borsani, and Gio Ponti, and many decorative elements created bespoke for the project, for example, rugs by Maison Lelièvre and curtains by Deyrolle, to genuinely evoke emotion and a sense of rarity, which is what clients seek today.”

Bohé unveils a new bag silhouette in this collection, the Villa, dedicated to Villa Serapian, the brand’s Milan headquarters at Villa Mozart, Piero Portaluppi’s modernist villa in the centre of Milan, an architectural gem built in 1926 and formerly known as Villa Zanoletti. It is a shoulder bag that can be worn cross-body and also functions as a clutch for everyday use, yet remains perfectly suited to evening wear.

“And that’s also why the atmosphere recreated here is evening and very elegant,” continues the executive. “The owner has just had to rush out, so certain things have been left lying around — flowers on the floor, books fallen from the shelves. Has she gone to meet a lover? To win him back? We don’t know. But there are signs left behind to convey her passion.”

There’s also the clutch-shaped Villa bag, which can be carried from morning right through to evening. “Today, our clients lead lifestyles of business breakfasts, frequent travel and appointments, followed by evening cocktails and aperitifs. So we really need highly versatile designs. In this respect, the Villa bag is perfect,” says Bohé, who also announces a new Serapian opening.

“In mid-October, we’ll be opening a boutique in the Seibu Ikebukuro department store in central Tokyo. After all, Japan is our primary market. Japanese customers greatly appreciate artisan craft, exceptional craftsmanship, perfection of detail and the geometries found in many of our creations. It’s a market we are developing strongly. What will distinguish this boutique,” continues the CEO, “is the presence of an artisan in-store who will continue to offer Su Misura. Because we create many one-off pieces for customers, which is an important aspect of our service.”

Japan is followed by the Middle East, Italy and the US. “In the US, our clientele is growing. What’s more, we have many American tourists visiting our boutiques in Italy who also purchase Serapian through our network of partners,” explains the French manager.

“Italy itself is performing well, too. Since opening the Rome boutique just over a year ago, we’ve been attracting more and more clients from Rome and southern Italy. Our customer base is also growing in Milan, and we owe much to Villa Mozart, where we welcome many VIP clients and offer cultural and artistic experiences as well as exclusive vernissages.”

Serapian’s distribution is highly selective, comprising only a handful of high-end points of sale worldwide. “Our e-commerce therefore enables customers, wherever they are in the world, to purchase a Serapian creation,” explains Bohé. “I know it may sound a little paradoxical, because the first thing you want to do when you see one of our Serapian pieces is to touch it and feel its weight, given that they are all exceptionally light. People are often surprised when I say that e-commerce remains very important to us and is growing steadily. I cannot disclose our turnover, but I can say that we are in a phase of significant development and strong expansion, while upholding our hallmark rarity.”

“I believe that in a world where digital technology is so prevalent, where there is so much talk of artificial intelligence, people still need to buy creations made by other people. They need to understand that these are creations which sometimes even possess the beauty of imperfection, and to rediscover emotion and rarity. And I think this is what makes Serapian particularly relevant in today’s world,” concludes Maxime Bohé.

Having arrived in Italy in the 1920s to escape the Turkish massacres, the Armenian Stefano Serapian, together with his younger brother Aramays, entered the leather goods trade in 1928, crafting bags from leather offcuts, moving first to Venice and then to Milan. Success soon followed, and the business grew around a team of artisans. With his wife, Gina Flori, he opened his first boutique-atelier on Via Jommelli in Milan in 1945, founding the eponymous brand.

In 1973, his son Ardavast took the helm, positioning the brand on the international stage. Since those early years, the company has been renowned above all for its expertise with the finest leathers, which it continues to champion. Meanwhile, its Su Misura service is an equally long-standing pillar of the business, having experienced significant growth particularly from the 1960s through to the late 1980s. In 2017, the brand was acquired by the Swiss conglomerate Richemont.