Shoulder to Shoulder: A Portrait of Craft, Community, and the Making of a Demetria Bag
With exposés revealing questionable supply chains and “Italian-made” goods traced far from Italy, the fashion industry is being forced to reckon with the gap between the luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary it promises and the reality behind the seams. Consumers, now demanding to know exactly who made the product and how, are looking into craftsmanship as the last true measure of value.
This is why a brand like Demetria feels particularly resonant now. At Demetria, founded and creatively helmed by Mai Cojuangco, craftsmanship is both long-standing in technique and personal in creation. Each bag is designed and sketched by Cojuangco and shaped by the hands of artisans whose names she acknowledges with pride: Simona, Lety, Roberto, Michela, Gabriele. Their skill, built over decades, is visible in every cut and seam. In a world of faceless manufacturing, Demetria chooses to place the maker at the heart of the story, which unfolds in Florence, a place where Cojuangco considers home.
“I’ve lived here for half my life. It’s the birthplace of the Renaissance; it’s a city steeped in leather-working traditions. It’s also where Demetria was born,” she says. “Living and working here for over twenty years has taught me a great deal about my craft. The artisan community isn’t very large—and Florence itself is not a big city—so it’s relatively easy to find the right people and reach out for whatever we might need. I’m also incredibly grateful to work with suppliers who don’t require minimum order quantities; it gives me the freedom to experiment with colours, materials, and variations.”
Her breadth of references—a Beato Angelico exhibition in Florence, the curves of midcentury furniture, her love of music—speaks of a life across continents that has given her a far-reaching visual vocabulary; she absorbs what she encounters and distills it instinctively into her work. “In truth, I can’t point to a single source of inspiration. It’s safe to say that I’m a sponge: I absorb everything I experience and synthesize them into my work,” she explains.
But for all the fluidity of her influences, her process is anchored in something far more exacting. Cojuangco is one who will carry around prototypes for weeks to get the feel of the bags, studying how the bag holds up in real-life situations, checking for creasing and how seams and the leather will behave with weight. “Over twenty years ago I had the privilege of studying at a school dedicated to leather handbag making, then worked for several years as a modellista (pattern maker), and I still feel I’ve only scratched the surface of that craft. So much of the work happens even before the leather is cut,” she says. “Experience has been the best teacher when it comes to recognizing top, exceptional quality.”
That level of attention is mirrored in the relationships she’s built within her workshop. “I’ve only ever worked with the workshop and the team for the brand, from day one. We work well together; we know what to expect from each other, and they know the brand intimately. How many things do you own for which you actually know the face of the person who made them? That’s what we have here in Florence with Demetria.” Cojuangco continues, “To speak of ‘luxury’ in the most holistic and authentic sense necessitates a consideration of the person, the maker, and the conditions in which they work to achieve the best versions of things. With the Italian artisans, there is discussion, there is debate, discourse, and that is the only way to achieve the highest level of product, and of quality. For us, the true definition of luxury begins and ends with people.”
- Mai Cojuangco begins the design process with a 1:1 sketch done by hand. The “Monette” bag is one of the pieces in Demetria’s newest collection.
2. From a 1:1 sketch of the panel, Simona cuts the pattern directly from the graphic and begins the process of creating paper pattern designs.
Two parts develop from the patterns: the first is the embossed design, which will be cut into the feltrino material; the second is the blank spaces in the pattern, used to trace the design directly onto the leather to ensure precision on the front panel.
Simona traces the design on a piece of black leather. “The kind and quality of experience held in the hands—feeling the thickness, the leathers, the materials—takes years to develop and simply cannot be replicated by machines,” Cojuangco says.
3. All the cutouts from the paper pattern are transferred into feltrino material, which creates the embossed effect on the front panel. She fixes the feltrino onto the leather with mastice (leather glue), securing their positions by hammering the strips onto the panel.
4. Simona then uses a stecca—a tool often made of bone—to fold and define the edges of the leather, creating the embossed effect by hand.
5. The intended effect and final result of that process.
6. Bag straps at Demetria are pressed with the logo. Finished with a buckle and two dog hooks, they are adjustable and can be used with other handbags.
7. The completed Monette bag, handcrafted by artisans of Demetria in Florence, Italy.
Production and photography by Kevin Coniquet, Guilio Pierini, and Duccio Schiumarini.
This article originally appeared in Robb Report Philippines’ Travel Issue, December 2025.