SMU Standout’s Trip to Italy Turns Into a Marriage and a Daring Handbag Line

Motorcycles, Art Deco and Texas

By Linden Wilson Jobe // Aug 7, 2017

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Designer Allison Hoeltzel returns to Dallas later this month for a trunk show.

Officina del Poggio Buckle Tote, $740

Officina del Poggio Micro Safari bag, $495

Officina del Poggio Mini Safari bag, $860

Allison Hoeltzel first traveled to Italy as an SMU student, for a three-month internship at the Bologna opera house. She never left, marrying her husband Marco and launching a luxury handbag collection.

Hoeltzel’s label, Officina del Poggio, takes inspiration from traditional satchels, equestrian gear, and Marco’s vintage motorcycle bags.

“He rides an HP2 Enduro on dirt paths around our home,” Hoetzel says. “Occasionally, I go with him. The hills around our home and in the Emilia-Romagna region are beautiful, and this area is actually known as Motor Valley due to the number of motorcycle and car manufacturers in the area — Ducati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati.”

With classic shapes and minimalist hardware, ODP’s supple leather bags of full-grain tumbled bull hide and natural vacchetta are individually sewn with thick-gauge thread.

Hoeltzel looked to French artist George Barbier’s illustrations while designing her fall collection ($495 to $1,345).

“I have always loved the Art Deco period and the art and architecture that it inspired,” she says. “I often came across Barbier’s illustrations in antique markets and love the contrast of black, pale blues, yellows, and bright reds.”