When it comes to brand-name handbags, it’s easy to feel like everyone is wearing the same thing. You can’t go down a city center without seeing an army of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci bags.
It’s easy to want something different and unique while maintaining that luxury aesthetic. If this sounds like you, we have the perfect brand.
Furla is a luxury Italian brand that is the fashion industry’s best-kept secret. We’re looking in-depth at Furla, including where their bags are made and how to spot a fake.
Furla: An Italian Luxury Fashion Brand
Furla was established in 1927 by the Furlanetto family, who still own the company. It continues to operate as a limited liability company, one of the few high-end brands in this category.
The best way to buy a real Furla bag is to buy it from an authorized store (Credit: Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock)
As an Italian brand, they offer everything from handbags to small leather goods and shoes. Furla pitches itself at the “strong, independent, emancipated women who paid attention to emerging fashions” with Italian sophistication.
The Furla headquarters are in an 18th-century villa in Bologna, Italy, with five subsidiaries across the world. The first Furla store opened in Bologna in 1955 before the Furla brand was handed down to the second generation of the family in the 1970s.
Their first store in Bologna is significant because it was initially used to produce everything from clothing to accessories. The family shifted their focus onto leather goods, continuing Italy’s rich heritage for leather craftsmanship.
Furla is known for its stylish and functional handbags, as well as its other leather goods, such as wallets, belts, and luggage
It was during the 1970s that the first bags were launched with the ‘Furla’ logo.
Furla adopted an avant-garde style, using unusual production methods and choosing atypical materials, including nylon and rubber. This shift allowed Furla to gain attention within the fashion industry.
During the 1980s, Furla began to expand outside the Italian market, launching its franchising network. They opened a store on Madison Avenue and had a presence across Europe.
The brand has gone global, exporting to over 70 countries, with over 1000 retail outlets and over 300 boutiques. Around half of these are owned by Furla directly, while the other half are franchises.
Their expansion plans focus on the Asian market, leading them to enter a joint venture with Li & Fung Holdings Ltd to help enter the mainstream market. They’ve also got their eyes on entering the Indian market, having recently entered another joint venture with Genesis Luxury Fashion Pvt. Ltd.
The brand is focused on expanding its presence internationally, bringing the attainable luxury of ‘Made in Italy’ to the world.
Is Furla a Luxury Brand?
One of the biggest debates around Furla is whether the brand falls into the ‘luxury’ category. It’s not on the same level as Gucci or Chanel, but it’s not at the level of Longchamp or Kate Spade.
Furla sits comfortably in the spot known as ‘accessible luxury’. While their bags won’t break the bank, they’re investment pieces with impeccable Italian craftsmanship that will last you a lifetime.
Furla was founded in 1927 in Bologna, Italy, and is considered a contemporary luxury brand (Credit: Papin Lab / Shutterstock)
You can compare Furla to brands like Tory Burch or Coach, giving you a high-quality leather product at an affordable price. The ‘Made in Italy’ stamp puts Furla above these brands.
Furla bags are made using tanned leather with the highest-quality production techniques. Their work is an all-Italian production, creating elegant pieces encapsulating the ‘Made in Italy’ aesthetic.
When it comes to luxury handbags, almost all of them use leather sourced from Italy. The heritage of Italian craftsmanship means that it’s second to none.
What Is Furla Famous For?
Furla is a brand that “interprets the Italian lifestyle into every product, with a distinctive creative spirit, understated design, and timeless elegance.”
Furla is famous for encapsulating the Italian aesthetic, bringing it into the modern era with creativity and signature Italian craftsmanship.
If you want to add a hint of Italy to your closet, look no further than Furla. Their handbags and accessories work for almost every lifestyle, with versatile pieces you can take on the go.
Where Are Furla Bags Made?
Furla bags are made in Italy – it’s part of their DNA and incorporated into everything they do.
Furla can sew the coveted “Made in Italy” label on 80% of its merchandise in Asia-Pacific stores, and its most popular bags are all 100% Made in Italy.
This is important to Chinese consumers, who value Italian craftsmanship and quality. Furla’s Made in Italy products cost the same as Made in China products from competitors in the premium segment, which gives Furla a value-added advantage.
As an Italian brand through and through, Furla uses the finest-quality leather to create its handbags and accessories. While you’ll find the occasional quirky PVC bag, almost every Furla bag uses leather.
Since 2019, Furla has committed to only using faux fur in its collections.
Aside from its PVC bags, Furla also has an array of bags made from genuine leather
While comparable brands – like Tory Burch – have moved their production to China, Furla is one of the few attainable luxury brands to stay firmly in Europe.
As Italy is enshrined in the brand’s essence, you can be sure its production will stay firmly in Italy.
6 Best ways to identify fake Furla bags
Top-tier luxury brands usually jump to mind when we think of counterfeit bags. The counterfeit or ’super fake’ market is larger than ever and becoming more prominent thanks to social media platforms like TikTok.
Brands at the attainable luxury price point are also becoming victims of the counterfeiting industry. As a timeless brand with versatile designs, it’s no surprise that Furla has joined this list.
Buying directly from the brand or an authorized stockist like Nordstrom or Farfetch is the best way to ensure you purchase a genuine Furla bag. If you plan to buy a Furla bag pre-loved from a website or store, you want to know what signs to look out for.
Counterfeiters are getting smarter with their production methods. You can no longer rely on a receipt, tag, or authenticity card to prove the item is genuine.
We’re rounding up a few signs to look for that are red flags for a piece potentially being a fake bag. You can never be too careful when buying pre-loved, especially if you’re purchasing online. These are our top tips on how to tell the authenticity of a potential Furla bag.
1. Look at the dust bag
Not every pre-loved Furla bag will come with a dust bag. If it does come with one, you want to look closely at it. Due to their Italian craftsmanship, Furla’s high-quality dust bags are designed to last.
A real Furla dust bag (left) is soft and has the correct size, while a fake Furla dust bag (right) doesn’t feel premium and doesn’t fit well with the bag (Credit: Ionela Torgai YouTube channel)
The dust bag should be correctly sized to fit the bag and be a soft material that feels premium. The Furla logo will feature on the dust bag in black font with capital letters.
2. Italian leather
Furla’s DNA is engrained with Italian craftsmanship, including the leather that it uses. The brand exclusively uses real leather, which will be smooth and buttery.
Genuine Furla bags are made with high-quality materials, such as leather, suede, and canvas
If you notice bumps or think the bag feels rigid, it’s an instant red flag. If you see a listing claiming that Furla uses “vegan leather”, it’s a tell-tale sign that the item is a counterfeit. While Furla now uses faux fur (since 2019), their leather is exclusively genuine.
3. Suede interior
With the obvious exception of PVC bags, most Furla bags will have a suede interior. Just like the dust bag, this should be high-quality and smooth to the touch.
The stitching on a genuine Furla bag should be neat, and the hardware should be made of high-quality metal
As suede is an expensive fabric, most counterfeit bags will skip this feature. You can tell if a material is a genuine suede by its softness. If it’s not as soft as butter, it’s not genuine suede.
4. Interior
On the interior of the bag, you should find ‘Furla’ and ‘Genuine Leather,’ usually with the ‘Made in Italy’ stamp between them. If you see anything else on the interior, it’s another red flag.
Real Furla bags have the Furla and Genuine Leather tag stitched inside, usually with the Made in Italy stamp
In some designs, Furla uses PVC instead of leather. You’ll be able to instantly spot this, along with bags made with velvet or suede instead of leather.
5. Check the stitching
Counterfeit bags are often made with lower-quality materials and less attention to detail than genuine bags. If you can see the bag in person, look closely at the stitching, the hardware, and the overall construction. Counterfeit bags often have sloppy stitching, cheap hardware, and other flaws.
You want to look at the stitching and ensure it’s neat and even. The stitching on a fake Furla bag may be uneven or sloppy.
The stitchings on the real Furla bag (left) look more neat and seamless compared to the stitchings on the fake Furla bag (right) (Credit: Ionela Torgai YouTube channel)
Furla bags are famous for their Italian craftsmanship, which includes their stitching. The attention to detail with Furla is second to none. If you notice mistakes or poor craftsmanship, it’s an instant red flag.
6. ID number
Not every brand uses ID numbers on their bags, but Furla is one of them. You’ll spot an ID number on a small white tag inside your bag.
It’s worth noting that just because a bag has an ID number doesn’t automatically mean it’s genuine. If the bag doesn’t have an ID number, it’s an issue.