For over four decades, Baxter has been synonymous with one material above all others: leather. The Italian brand built its identity on the tradition and innovation of Italian leather production, making the material the hero of every collection. The origin story is now design folklore: the brand's first sofa, Alfred, was born from a leather hide considered too thick for furniture by the tanneries that supplied it, a "mistake" that became the prototype for everything else that followed.
Baxter opens a new chapter.
Fabric joins the leather legacy
'We can say that the ideas to develop new collections are born from a synthesis between the research that Baxter continuously does on treatments, colours and touches of these leathers on the one hand, and our desires to experiment with new forms and different directions on the other hand.'
Paola Navone, Baxter Collaborator
As co-founder Luigi Bestetti once described it, the tannery became something closer to an alchemist's lab: a place of trial, error and relentless restarting, where the study of materials became the very core of Baxter's research. For Baxter, leather has always spoken the first word; a living presence carrying memory, warmth and depth, a surface that reacts to light and touch and shapes the character of everything it wraps.
This insatiable curiosity is why Baxter's next move feels less like a departure from their history, and more like a natural evolution: for the first time, fabric has entered the material palette, sitting alongside the leathers that made the brand's name. The debut collection spans nine fabrics, including the depth of Ebour, seen in Ocre, Brun, Brique, Ciel, Foret, Naturel and Gris, alongside the more layered character of Brocade Écru and Oeuvre Vert, each bringing its own character to a palette that feels like an extension of Baxter's material research.
It's a shift that echoes what long-time creative collaborator Paola Navone has said about Baxter's process: "We can say that the ideas to develop new collections are born from a synthesis between the research that Baxter continuously does on treatments, colours and touches of these leathers on the one hand, and our desires to experiment with new forms and different directions on the other hand."
For the Baxter faithful, this isn't about leather being replaced but the alchemist's lab being handed a new material to explore. Fabric complements the leather, broadening the sensory landscape of the collection and making the spaces it furnishes more versatile for everyday use.
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