How a tiny Shoreditch shop full of Italian leather became one of East London's most-visited fashion destinations.
The Rich Collection — Bella Italia has stood at 7 Hackney Road for as long as anyone can remember. Once, this stretch of Shoreditch was lined with leather wholesalers, importers and exporters. One by one, they closed. We're the only one left.
Simple: the collection. We never switched to cheap synthetics or fast fashion. Every shoe, bag and matching set in the shop is genuine Italian leather, sourced from small niche houses in Italy — the kind of workshops that still finish leather by hand. The colours, the crystal work, the croc embossing: you can't get them anywhere else.
A few videos of our shelves — walls of lime-green croc bags, bubblegum-pink crystal sets, aqua peep-toe heels — and suddenly people were travelling across London to see it in person. On a good day the queue runs down the street, an hour or two long. Nobody minds. They know that what's on those shelves is one-of-one, and when it's gone, it's gone.
71 styles of women's shoes, 52 handbags, 83 men's styles and 245 matching shoe-and-bag sets — 451 pieces in total, across 11 Italian houses including Cesare Paciotti, Massimo and Milano. Prices from £50.
We're open Monday to Saturday 1–7:30pm and Sunday 1–6:30pm at 7 Hackney Road, London E2 7NX. Can't make it in? Shop the collection online — we deliver across the UK with Royal Mail and worldwide via Evri and UPS.
