21. Into the woods

The next challenge was the wood. Wood was the heart of my bag. It had to be perfect. I had some developments with hatbox makers because they had been working with rounded wood since the 1950s and they were industry experts, but no one could make the right base for my bag. Their entire approach wasn’t precise enough, because hatboxes were constructed differently. Their way of thinking was another paradigm. Although my bag visually looked like a hatbox style, its nature was completely different.

My bag required a solution that did not exist before. The factory expected me to provide this solution. I wondered, if no one among the top industry professionals knew what to do, how could I possibly know?

I returned to my heart. I felt the desire to go beyond limitations of the industry. What if I look for a solution in another industry? I wanted to speak with furniture makers. After all, Italy was famous for its outstanding furniture. Someone told me the best place for furniture makers. It was a village close to Milan. I took a driver, a translator, and went to the very heart of the village. Upon my arrival, I saw everything being so industrial, not how I imagined it. Except for one place — a building with a unique facade and old, charismatic trees lying beautifully on the ground. It looked like a fairy tale.

I felt drawn to go there. Tarcisio, the owner, greeted me. From his first questions about my creation, I immediately sensed — he understood precision. My inner guidance had been precise. I found my wood craftsman. He gave me a carved wooden heart. If he knew what it meant to me. He never worked with handbags, but he loved what he did and he was willing to go beyond. Thus, the ideal wooden foundation was born.