The new Italian luxury boutique that just opened in Hinsdale might be a new concept in the Chicago area, but the store has been 25 years in the making. Maher Rahman moved to Florence, Italy as a young adult, and fell in love with the beauty of the city and the art that makes it famous. He lived near the leather district, and years later, his brothers opened a few shops featuring high-quality, locally made leather products.

Now, Maher and his wife Diana Mucci-Rahman are bringing those products stateside at Mucci di Firenze on 1st Street in Hinsdale. But why now, after all these years?

“The stars aligned,” Diana says. “We moved to the Burr Ridge area, and we fell in love with downtown Hinsdale. Although we love the entire Hinsdale community, what sealed the deal for us on location for our store was the thriving downtown area. We absolutely love it!

“We knew that Hinsdale would be the perfect place to open a store for people who appreciate the high quality of Italian-made products,” she adds. “Because, when you hear Made in Italy, the first things you think about are quality, luxury, craftmanship, artistry, and fashion.”

Inside the store, you’ll find a variety of Italian leather products, but the leather jackets and shearling coats are probably the most notable offerings. “We work with our family to design the jackets and coats and hand select the leather and the colors. We have a team of craftsmen, who, from our patterns cut and sew the hide and put something really beautiful together,” Diana says. “It truly is a work of art.”

That means that no two pieces at Mucci di Firenze are the same. In addition to coats and jackets, you can find handbags, belts, briefcases, wallets, silk scarves, and more. Almost every piece is handmade in Italy.

The styles are a combination of classic Italian fashion and modern American expectations. The classic, straight-cut men’s leather jacket or women’s leather trenches will always be staples in the store, but you can find moto jackets and biker jackets in the store right now, which are on trend. Plus, you can find a variety of leather colors: red, winter white, greens, blues, oranges, black, cognac, and beyond. “Every shade is different,” she says.

“Since we opened the store, we’ve gotten really wonderful feedback,” Diana adds. “People feel transported when they walk into the store. If you can’t fly to the streets of Florence, you have it all here.” Plus, they’ve been really thoughtful about how to price their luxury goods. “We want people to experience Italian luxury,” Diana says, so they’ve tried to keep items priced so you can walk in and walk out with something you love, but because they’re sourcing and manufacturing items items within their family business, they can pass the savings on to the customer.

Diana says they are starting to hear from customers about what they love, and what they’d love more of. Italian shoes, for example, would be a great addition to the product list, and something they are considering adding in the future. But even if they don’t have them in store, they just might take a special request when they regularly travel to Italy to see if they can find what their customers want.

Mucci di Firenze is located at 16 E. 1st Street in Hinsdale, 630-468-2040, muccidifirenze.com.