Growing up, books were my passport. When I was old enough, I went to places with people I loved. Steinbeck reined in Love and other Demons. Orwell and Bradbury taught philosophy, Ondaatje a constant companion, and Hemingway the North Star. Work and curiosity took me all over the world. Never taking the guided tour, I went to get the smells on my skin and the dirt on my shoes.
I had an idea, and made the obvious decision to select Tuscan craftsmen and Florentine leather to create handbags that are classically inspired, and crafted responsibly with uncompromising luxury.
When you wear an Odonate Alexander handbag, you carry the exchanges at a café in the shadow of the Duomo, the satisfaction of a meal combining elements that create perfection, and the contentment of strolling hand-in-hand under the shine of a streetlamp on damp cobblestones. You carry with you the things that truly make a remarkable life.
“Made in Italy”
At Odonate Alexander we endeavor to adhere to the Manifesto for the Sustainability in Italian Fashion promoted by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. All of our products are handcrafted by Italian artisans in Tuscany.
Our creative process combines style, functionality and environmental responsibility.
The Dragonfly
My great grandmother was a European immigrant. With a brave spirit, she left her home with minimal belongings—including a pair of ice skates, her clothing, and an heirloom brooch given to her by her mother as a departing gift. She boarded a ship for the promise of new opportunities. Once in the United States, she worked alongside her husband clearing land for farming. They dug a well by hand, built a house, and set about the business of raising crops, cattle, and a big family. While her husband died many years before her, she maintained her status as a pillar of the community. She made wise investments, and through her business, was empowered to help others in her community by assisting them in starting their own businesses, and philanthropy. At the end of her life, she was known for her kindness. After the death of my grandmother, my grandfather gave me a very old brooch. It was that of a dragonfly with outstretched wings.
Odonate is an order of insects encompassing the dragonfly. Inspired by our heritage – the dragonfly has tenacity. It can fly backward, forward and even hover. It can migrate across oceans and between continents. It represents endurance, transformation, adaptability and self-realization. But mostly, it skims just above the water, always searching beneath the surface.
Through Business We Can Do Good
By doing business with a sense of transparency, fairness, and integrity, we can take care of each other and our neighbors.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
Mission & Vision
Through business we can do good. The resilience, transformation, transparency and adaptability of what the dragonfly represents is woven into our business practices, as well as the things we seek in our partners. Scholarship America is an organization that embodies these ideas and puts them into practice.
We support this organization that develops innovative ways to provide students a way to break down barriers, open doors and access scholarships that help them succeed in their lives.
