Made In Italy

Article by Brianna Melanson

Photography by Danielle Del Valle

Originally published in Franklin Lifestyle

Verderame is a name created by two friends from Modena, Italy, Manuela and Laura, for their new boutique in Franklin, Tennessee. “Verderame is a unique shade of green,” says Laura. In Italian, “verde” means green and “rame” means copper. Their dresses, jewelry, bags and other pieces are just as unique and 100% Italian made.

The business partners moved to America for their husbands’ jobs, but met for the first time in Franklin. Laura has been here for five years and Manuela for two. Manuela says, “As we got to know each other, we started sharing our passion for Italian clothing and accessories. So we thought, ‘why not bring something here to make it local for everybody?’ So they started researching small Italian brands online and making visits to Italy to find artisans to collaborate with in order to curate a collection. Manuela says, “The idea of sending their homemade products overseas and having someone show them is exciting for them.”

Verderame officially opened in May 2021. You can purchase their items on their website or at one of their pop-up events. Their first shopping event hosted in Manuela’s backyard was a hit!  The friends love to participate in pop-ups so they can interact with shoppers and put outfits together. Manuela says, “We miss the Italian shopping experience and hope to give that to our customers.”

“Our style is minimal, simple and romantic which is what Italian fashion is,” says Laura. Manuela adds, “It’s all what we like. We pick which colors and what exactly we want to introduce. Every season we’ll choose whatever we like. We like the flexibility.” They offer 2-3 pieces of each item at every event so it feels like you’ve found a very exclusive and rare gem. However if you’d like a different size or color, being handmade, they have the ability to order custom items for you.

This fall, they’re introducing a beautiful line of pure leather bags made in Verona, Italy by a brand called FiluFilu. Manuela says, “We selected this woman, also named Laura, because she works with high quality, soft pieces of leathers and we love it. You can compare this – I mean I’m not kidding, to one of the Dolce & Gabbana bags because the leather is the same.”  As Manuelashows us her new light yellow FiluFilu purse, she adds, “I traveled back from Italy with this
leather bag. It fit my things and my daughter’s. It looks small but fit so much.” She was in Italy for 3 weeks working on new Verderame projects such as this. Italian fashion is now locally available thanks to Manuela and Laura. VerderameUSA.