Valextra Icons: The Story Of The Tric Trac

An icon, a gamechanger, a cross-generational object of design expertise and desire: the Tric Trac wristbag has become a timely symbol of present continuous design.

The most enduring creation of all Valextra founder Giovanni Fontana’s engineered leather goods, the Tric Trac has evolved from a bag designed for the man about Milan in 1968. From his famous curved windows of his San Babila boutique and workshop in Milan, Fontana observed the needs of his clientele through his own contemporaneous lens resulting in a handbag whose relevance would transcend five decades and counting. 

The result was something completely new in concept and construction; a wristbag that expanded as it opened to keep everyday essentials all within easy reach with a zip-closing compartment at its base to house currency and cards. Its ergonomic everyday design struck an immediate chord, encapsulating the growing mobile world and fusing function with finesse. Fast forward to present day and it is a genderless style statement that is recognised the world over. 

While its famed construction and closure – the sound from which it takes its name – remains the same, recent additions have been engineered to ensure it continues to enhance its credentials. A crossbody strap has been incorporated to increase the ways the Tric Trac can be worn; invigorating new palettes have been applied to explore its eye-catching potential; and new leather techniques, such as intarsia, have been employed. All cement its present and continuous legacy.