Serena Cassarino
I am a Leather Goods & Accessories Specialist with over 15 years of experience across luxury and contemporary fashion brands, including Valentino, Versace, Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld. Throughout my career, I have designed and developed handbags, small leather goods and accessories from concept to final product, combining creativity with strong knowledge of materials, construction and manifacturing. Working across brands with different identities and market positions has given me the ability to understand each brand's vision and create collections that balance creativity, functionality and commercial goals. Most recently, I was Leather Goods Design Manager at Karl Lagerfeld, where I led a team of designers while remaining closely involved in the creative and technical development of each collection. Alongside my industry experience, I also taught an Accessories Design course at the Kolding School of Design in Denmark. Today, I work independently as a Leather Goods & Accessories Consultant, combining design and collection development with cross-functional leadership across design, product development and manufacturing teams.
Independent consultant specialising in leather goods and accessories, combining design, product development and manufacturing expertise.
Led the women’s leather goods main line, overseeing full collection development from concept to prototypes, including seasonal concept books and color cards, material research and application, digital sketching, and technical drawings. Planned and coordinated the design team’s calendar, research and inspiration trips, and on-site prototype reviews at factories during correction phases. Managed and mentored a team of four designers, improving workflow efficiency and supporting professional growth. Worked closely with merchandising, product development, RTW teams, and suppliers in Europe and Asia to ensure collection coherence, strengthen collaboration, and improve sample accuracy and production feasibility.
Designed accessories projects for a wide range of clients, from established luxury brands such as Armani, YSL, and Versace to contemporary and emerging brands including Off-White and Palm Angels. Took ownership of the creative direction for selected projects, developing concepts tailored to each client’s aesthetic and market positioning. Delivered creative proposals including sketches, renders, material research,
Developed women’s leather goods collections across the full design process, from creative research and sketching to technical drawings, prints, embroidery placements, animations and prototype corrections. Supervised two designers, overseeing hardware development and small leather goods, and ensuring consistency across categories. Worked closely with product development, merchandising, and RTW teams to ensure design coherence and alignment across collections. Coordinated the accessories collection for fashion shows and lookbooks.
Developed bags, belts, and small leather goods collections across the full design process, from creative research and material and color application to sketches, technical drawings, embroidery placements, prints, and animations. Managed and curated the leather goods material library, supporting design consistency and development efficiency. Worked closely with the product development team in Italy to oversee development phases and ensure design integrity and feasibility. Took responsibility for team coordination and project oversight at key stages of the collection development, ensuring smooth execution for fashion shows and lookbooks. Collaborated directly with the Creative Director, merchandising teams, and product development partners to align creative vision with collection objectives.
Designed bags small leather goods, and soft accessories for the Valentino Garavani and the Red Valentino women’s collections. Contributed to the creative development through research, concept ideas, sketching, rendering, prints, and embroidery placements. Worked closely with merchandising and RTW teams throughout the development process to ensure collection coherence. Supported showroom organization, collection presentations and fashion shows.
Supported the accessories design team with creative research, sketching, and illustration for bags and footwear collections. Assisted in material exploration and contributed to early concept development, building a solid foundation in accessories design and product development processes