S A L C E 197 was born on the basis of an idea by Aldo Cafiero. After many years working in the family business, the Cafiero Group, founded in 1980 by Guido Cafiero and Ester Baldi, since 1990 designers and makers of glasses cases and accessories for the biggest eyewear industries, including Silhouette, Luxottica, Marcolin, Safilo and De Rigo, Aldo drew on the know-how he had acquired in materials and how to use them to establish a new brand, named after its historic headquarters at Via Salce 197 in the hamlet of Salce, in the province of Belluno.

The first bag was inspired by the entrance to the historic building housing the company’s headquarters at Via Salce 197: a big arched wooden door, the shape characterising Almavida, the icon-bag of the first collection.The name is a combination of two Spanish words, ‘Alma’, meaning soul, and ‘Vida’, life: words Aldo sees as representing the essence of what it is to be human. Almavida is still available today, on request.

The S A L C E 197 collections are the result of synergy between the creativity of the company’s team of designers and technical know-how acquired making eyewear packaging and glasses cases. Squeeze is a bag consisting of two thermoformed side shells, covered with leather and joined by a central body of soft nappa leather. It took up two years of research and development work to create this style. The brand's range is also completed by unstructured models made entirely of leather.

S A L C E 197 bags feature contemporary style, clean lines and quality trim: tailored hand stitching and a galvanic mirror finish. The serpentine chain and macro-zips underline S A L C E 197's modern style. Great care is taken in the choice of raw materials, all exclusively from Italian tanneries, and in production, entrusted to Italian master craftsmen.

S A L C E 197 is concretely committed to reducing its environmental impact as much as possible, which is why the company has always used recyclable packaging and leather compliant with REACH* regulations. The decision to work with tanneries and manufacturers close to the brand’s headquarters represents another step, reducing emissions caused by transportation. In addition, all shells are made of EVA, a material also used in food packaging. S A L C E 197 has set itself the goal of creating entirely eco-sustainable products.