Then, the brothers decided to make a step forward, turning the business into a more artistic activity. They made several attempts to find their distinctive style in terms of binding, searching for the right type of leather and paper to be used for booklets, notebooks and journals. From the Latin verb \u201creligare\u201d, a\u00a0legatoria<\/em>\u00a0indicates a laboratory where different parts of a book come together, in this case, tied by a leather cover with a lace, each page bound to the other through a special technique. Why are Legatoria\u2019s creations unique?<\/strong> Koin\u00e9 offers 100% Italian materials, techniques and manual processing. All their products are produced in Italy, in Santa Croce sull\u2019Arno, to mention one of the most well-known locations dedicated to the leather industry in Italy. Laura, Legatoria Koin\u00e9\u2019s Sales Representative, knows the company in and out and she tells me more about the production process. What does it mean to carry out manual processing only, in the 21st<\/sup> century?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the process is made by hand from the very beginning to the end, there are pros and cons to consider, Laura explains. \u201cOf course, the central paper block comes from the factory, but afterwards the process is completely made by hand,\u201d she waves her hands in front of me. As a result, production can be time-consuming and attention to detail is key to creating an impeccable artisanal product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, the manufacturing is lengthy and often we have to fight against a system where everything is available right on the spot.\u201d Going through all the necessary steps takes time, glue needs time to dry and they \u201cwould never risk sending a notebook unglued!\u201d, Laura adds, almost horrified by this thought. Nevertheless, the market grew very quickly and it includes wholesale retailers and individual clients all over the world. Depending on the complexity of the work, an order can be fulfilled in 2\/3 days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The clientele is extremely varied, from religious to military groups to passionate writers and painters. But Laura has no doubt that Koin\u00e9\u2019s products are not for everyone. One thing is sure, Koin\u00e9 is for people who love to feel emotionally connected to an object, who are looking forward to developing a special relationship with their books, as if they could somehow represent their personality and keep their dreams. Legatoria Koin\u00e9\u2019s creations are also products of a sentimental nature: journals, photographic books, music notebooks and much more. Every item can adapt to its owner. Hearing Laura talking brings me back to when I was a teenager to the time when computers were not so widespread and smartphones didn\u2019t even exist. Writing in my journals on a daily basis, I would easily lose count of the pages. I am pleased to know there are still writers who enjoy the feeling of (quite literally) having a white page in front of them and perhaps use an elegant shiny fountain pen to fill it with their memories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Throughout her career, Laura has been part of all sorts of projects involving Koin\u00e9\u2019s creations. Some have written the story of their family and others have filled the pages with photos, to make sure not to forget anyone behind the years. Many clients don\u2019t want to keep their photos on their mobile phone only. \u201cPhotography should be an experience, to cherish through years and decades across generations\u201d, says Laura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I strongly believe that photographic books become an integral part of the family\u2019s history. Who hasn\u2019t searched for distant relatives or dogged in old family albums to find that picture of grandma as a young girl working in a factory or a headshot of their parents from University? When I was a kid I liked carrying around with me a heavy leather book that used to belong to my mother\u2019s family, asking lots of questions: \u201cWho is this one?,\u201d I would say pointing my index finger to a black and white portrait photo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n We may think we live in a digital era where everything is \u201cposted\u201d online or shared through social media, but that\u2019s not always true. Koin\u00e9\u2019s artisanal products are made to enhance our senses and memory through the years..not only personal journals or photobooks, their crafts are also often used to remember a religious journey, a pleasant stay in an historic residence and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Laura, the best part of the job is when their clients reach out to share their ideas on how they are going to use the product. \u201cYou have no idea how many ideas I hear from our clients,\u201d smiles Laura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only do writers love the feeling and the smell of the leather and paper but also artists enjoy using manually bound paper books to express their inner talent. It seems like there are so many types of paper depending on which kind of project you are working on! Whether it is vergata<\/em> paper with its ribbed texture, or Amalfi paper, Legatoria Koin\u00e9 seems to know how to advice its customers depending on the intended use of the product but also how to care for the cover leather: one simple rule is to avoid keeping your books under direct sunlight ( if I had knew when I was a kid!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Legatoria Koin\u00e8 is a Tuscan bookbinding bottega creating memorable leather handicrafts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jet_sm_ready_style":"","_jet_sm_style":"","_jet_sm_controls_values":"","_jet_sm_fonts_collection":"","_jet_sm_fonts_links":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1216],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-craft-matters-artisans-designers"],"yoast_head":"\n
The most common type of binding is the medieval style but it is not the only one.
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\u201cIn an ephemeral world, where everything is transient, I wanted to create something that could persist to tell a story. I fell in love with a craft and try to convey its enchantment to everyone\u201d.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cJournals are a tool for self-healing. Manual writing is an intense process, because people are scared to impress their emotions black on white.\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n