Il Bisonte was founded in 1970 by master craftsman Wanny Di Filippo, and 2020 marks fifty years of business.
Wanny, the brand’s ambassador, started out in a small artisan workshop in the magnificent Palazzo Corsini overlooking the Arno in Florence. Today, 50 years later, Il Bisonte headquarters are still in the same building where the first Il Bisonte creations were dreamed up, designed and produced.
A determined, eclectic, and always unconventional dreamer, Wanny Di Filippo embodies the idea of choosing the life you want, and building it freely based on yourself and your imagination. With this vision he has created an unmistakable style and collections of bags and accessories that continue to acquire value over time.
Even the name of the company appears unusual; it actually encompasses a passion and reflection that he himself describes: “I am in love with bison because they represent both peace and strength together”.
A love story started in the 1960s that compelled him to collect works of art, engravings, sculptures and special memorabilia. Today the Bison Museum in Palazzo Corsini houses one of the most significant collections in existence dedicated to the animal.
The 50th anniversary celebrations will kick off in June with the exclusively online presentation of the special 50thON! collection dedicated to the anniversary. The festivities will continue until the end of the year with a project dedicated to the environment and curated by the creative director of the Felice Limosani brand.
CEO Luigi Ceccon remarked for the occasion: “the 50th anniversary celebrations will not only be a tribute to our local workers who still represent the soul of Il Bisonte, but also a legacy to Florence that has given us so much. Our production has used vegetable tanning since the ‘80s. Today more than ever before, this sensitivity and production excellence translates into a real commitment. Together with the City of Florence we will soon present a project to sustain the environment which exemplifies one of our foremost values: to make something beautiful and lasting.”