RHO, Italy — Valextra is going soft, but that doesn’t mean it is less demanding about quality, craftsmanship and functionality.

Starting with the spring collection, the Italian luxury brand has shifted to softer designs from the structured silhouettes for which it has long been known. “Innovative materials, researched for years, are key elements in this new direction, reinterpreting the brand’s architectural signatures in softer forms,” explained chief executive officer Xavier Rougeaux.

However, he underscored that this is “more than just a stylistic change. It’s a measured response to the pace of life today, requiring that the objects we carry must move effortlessly with us. Whispered excellence is more than refined aesthetics, it is the ability to make one’s life more intuitive and uncomplicated.” 

During an interview and walk-through at ’s atelier in Rho, on the outskirts of Milan, Rougeaux credited Maria Adele Tremolada, the brand’s leather goods design director, and the team of artisans she oversees for the evolution of the brand’s pillars. After honing her skills at Prada and Louis Vuitton, Tremolada joined Valextra five years ago. The executive praised the designer’s “ability to balance modern aesthetics and the purity and functionality of Valextra.”

Rougeaux highlighted the “strong Milanese” roots of the brand and the aim to “respect and extend” them going forward. At the same time, Valextra has long been associated with innovation and research, harking back to its founder Giovanni Fontana, who was an architect and engineer, Rougeaux pointed out, and “this modernity, sense of discovery, industrial design and technical newness continue to be fundamental, reinforcing the identity of the brand.”

As a reminder, but also as a source of inspiration, the archive stands pride of place in the atelier, displaying storied designs — from the 1962 Forma Zero briefcase to the 1967 patented Tric Trac, which has been revisited over the years — together with photographs of the artisans working on the designs. Valextra is known for its handcrafted bags and leather goods marked by a signature lacquered piping, which continues to be applied manually.

Valextra was founded in Milan in 1937, and the city’s strict geometry and rationalist architecture have been inspirational but today, “movement and flexibility dominate the collections, but we stay true to the brand’s values,” Rougeaux said.

Tremolada concurred and said Valextra “doesn’t necessarily need to be on trend. We take our time in developing what is in sync with the brand’s philosophy and quality, researching leathers and treatments over the years to achieve the softness of the hides.”

Tremolada highlighted the “Sublime” leather, translated into the MyLogo bowling bag, with a luxurious and supple touch due to a processing treatment that leaves all its natural characteristics visible and in earthy shades, including ink black, burnished chocolate brown and cashmere beige. 

Presented for the first time in the same collection is “Senso,” an elevated nubuck suede debossed with Valextra’s signature Millepunte pattern. This hide is seen in the Milano and MyLogo handbags in shades of chocolate brown and nude. The signature Iside and Tric Tracs are also introduced in softer versions.

The softer hides were not developed as a way to lower prices; on the contrary, they are even more expensive, 20 to 25 percent higher, said Rougeaux, with bags retailing at between 3,000 and 5,000 euros.

The understatement of the brand is meant to reflect the austere façades of Milanese buildings, which hide rich and opulent interiors and beautiful courtyards and gardens. “Purity is the most difficult thing to achieve,” Tremolada said.

The brand’s fall 2025 campaign represents Valextra’s shift. Shot by Paris-based photographer Stanislas Motz-Neidhart, the images portray models “moving swiftly and with ease throughout the city, their malleable bags clutched close to their bodies,” the designer said.

In sync with the aim to modernize the offer, Valextra is adding more complementary and gifting products, from eyeglass cases to credit card holders. “We look at how people live and small leather goods have changed, too,” she added.

The company is also planning a relaunch of luggage and has been working with recycled nylon, seen for example on a new backpack design.

Valextra’s sales rose 5 percent to 70 million euros last year compared with 2023, Rougeaux said.

The executive has been spearheading Valextra’s international expansion, opening a flagship in Dubai last year and its first store in Paris in 2023, flanking the units in key cities such as Rome, Milan and London. A store will open in Fukuoka, Japan, in September. “Japan is our first main market,” he said. Also in September, as part of its Journey of Craftsmanship project celebrating the artistic dialogue Valextra has with global artisans, the brand will introduce exclusively in Japan the Iside bag in porcelain, partnering with Riso Porcelain. The bag was created employing the techniques of Imari-ware.

There are a total of 38 directly operated stores globally. The interior template of the stores was conceived by Milan-based firm Andrea Tognon Architecture, which has also designed several Valextra boutiques in China, including in Chengdu, Shenzhen and Hangzhou.

Rougeaux, who had been Valextra’s marketing and commercial director from 2015 to 2016, returned to the firm as CEO in January 2021, succeeding Sara Ferrero, after a three-year stint as CEO of Smythson in London. He previously held senior positions at luxury brands including Loro Piana and Sergio Rossi.

Neo Investment Partners bought a majority stake in Valextra in 2013. The London-based investment firm has stakes in fashion and lifestyle brands including Victoria Beckham Ltd., Miller Harris and Alain Mikli.