Qwerty handbags by Venetian designer Patrizia Donà

Patrizia Donà is a successor of the long family tradition originating from the island of Murano, Venice. During her childhood, she used to spend many summers in a family manufacture, helping putting together crystal parts of Venetian chandeliers, whose production is a unique and unsurpassed process. So Patrizia grew up surrounded by artisanal works, in an atmosphere where striving for perfection and continuous improvement came to her naturally. Later in life, Patrizia Donà moved to Rotterdam where she studied Fashion Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy. She graduated Cum Laude in 2006.

In 2012, Patrizia started her own label Laboratio Donà (later renamed Donà), which soon gained attention and appraisal for the “Hommage a Remington” bags, inspired by a famous typewriter. Patrizia Donà won several awards: Platinum A’ Design Award for Qwerty Elemental 2020, ZDW Award for Qwerty Unique 2020, Elle Style Awards 2014 for the Best Accessory Designer, Croatian Designers Association Award for fashion design 2014, 43th Zagreb Salon Award for “Hommage a Remington” collection 2009.

The highlight of “Hommage a Remington” collection were the typewriter keys, firstly re-applied from the original Remington typewriters, and later, according to Donà’s design, constructed and manufactured by a metal craftsmen company. Since 2013 Donà has her own production of typewriter keys. So “Hommage a Remington” collection naturally led to three spectacular lines of QWERTY COLLECTION: Unique, Limited and Elemental.

QWERTY UNIQUE celebrates the sculptural and narrative quality of design. It is the most exclusive and complex of all the QWERTY lines, the unique pieces are objects of desire with a fetish flavor. Each piece of these unique storytelling objects is made with an obsessive attention to detail. The recognizable parts of a typewriter like keys, levers, or cylindrical platen are used in their original state or redesigned and constructed by using contemporary materials and techniques. These masterpieces show an assemblage of detail hand made by the most experienced leather and metal craftsmen.

QWERTY ELEMENTAL is the embodiment of strength, symmetry, and simplicity. The essential peculiarity of the bag are two typewriter’s keys which are self manufactured and assembled by the designer herself. Constructive stainless steel parts made by various craftsmen are distinctive visual feature of the product, which gives the bag an architectonic appearance. With its clean line and defined shape, Qwerty elemental is a line that features perfect everyday city pieces and moves easily between casual and formal events.

more. www.laboratoriodona.com