Style Edit: Is Ferragamo’s Hug handbag the new ‘It’ bag of the season?

Embrace the “It” bag of the season: Florence-based Ferragamo has poured its noted Italian craftsmanship and aesthetics into the Hug bag, a handbag that treads the line between elegance and trendiness.

A huge hit that was unveiled on the autumn/winter 2023 runway, the Hug bag, as the name conjures, takes its inspiration from the gesture of an embrace that is so often demonstrated in Italian culture. With two straps, appearing much like arms cinching the sides and secured in the front with two lock clasps, this design brings to life a finely executed Florentine artisanal expression of a cuddle.

The Ferragamo Hug bag, here in earthy hues

Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis presents a fresh take on classic Italian leather-making traditions through the marriage of leather and metal hardware to create an entirely fresh aesthetic, built on the long artisanal legacy implemented by founder Salvatore Ferragamo.

The oblique Gancini lock closures caresse the structured, asymmetrical bag that is rendered in soft and hard textures, and its folding side panels. The effortless design of the Hug bag offers a classically elegant, yet wholly novel look. The defined silhouette of this design is at once feminine yet impactful with its bold, simple lines.

Some Hug bag colourways bring out the bold asymmetrical lines

The versatility of the design lends it the ability to adapt to different textures and colours, from grained leather to brushed calfskin, patent leather and nubuck.

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Clasps play their part in adding stylish accents and colour contrasts against the Hug bag’s main form

With two top handles and a shoulder strap, the bag is intricately constructed to reflect the exceptional craftsmanship which is at the heart of Ferragamo. The leather and canvas panels, tubular handles and straps, expertly cut, sewn and tanned, are fixed onto the frame and assembled and accented with the gold or palladium finished hardware by Ferragamo’s in-house expert workers.

Every tiny detail, from the bag’s protective metal feet and stitching to the hand-lacquered edges are testaments to the Italian brand’s dedication to perfection and its upholding of traditions in leather making.

The Hug bag by Ferragamo is designed to make quite a statement

In three different iterations, including a pouch bag and a tote bag in medium and small sizes, the Hug bag comes in a full range of hues, from vibrant to subdued. The more discrete shades of black, dark green and midnight blue exude quiet elegance, while yellow, optic white and Ferragamo red provide bright pops of colour to accent any outfit.

Impeccable craftsmanship and the uniquely enduring Italian aesthetics of Ferragamo’s statement-making arm candy this season and beyond is there to be embraced.