To start off day 5 in Milan, we visited Lineapelle which is a company that specializes in leather goods. We got a chance to see and feel many different types of leather from animals like snakes, ostriches, fish, and many more. I was very surprised at some of the different animals that leather could come from and I wasn’t expecting many of them. One thing I liked to see was that the company was very sustainable and 92% of the water that they use in the production phase is actually returned. I was also pleased to learn that none of that 99% of the animals used to make their leather goes to the food industry, so they are not killing animals just for fashion or furniture.

Afterwards, we visited the Milan Fashion Library which was really cool to me. It is a place where scholars and people in the fashion field can go and learn or draw inspirations from old fashion. I also like that it documents fashion throughout the year so that the history is preserved. It was cool to see books of collections from some of my favorite designers like Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Finally, we had a chance to learn about a cool company called Velasco Milano which specializes in handcrafted leather shoes. I really enjoyed hearing about their business model because they fit into the lane of ‘affordable luxury’. From a business standpoint, It was extremely interesting to hear that they are a direct to customer seller. I really value this business model because it gives you total independence on how your products are being marketed in store, while also allowing you to cut out a middle man and take advantage of 100% profits.