Amore is the philosophy and lifestyle of designer and entrepreneur Anna Santopadre. A brilliant and fearless Armenian woman, her practice fuses the Oriental with the European in a mission to revive handcraft as the past, present, and future of fashion. When Anna was only 10 years old, she created her first piece: a woven pouch with a long strap that she would carry around her neck and store the wonderful trinkets of childhood as she walked around her neighborhood. Having grown up in a household surrounded by beauty, she credits her stylish older sisters and elegant mother for shaping her own style. As a teenager infatuated by the hard-to-find fashion magazines passed down from her sisters, Anna began taking classes with renowned tailor Madame Heriqnaz who had spent many years working in the royal court of the Iranian Shah. Upon her first visit to Italy, Anna was struck by the depth and distinction of Italian handbags and their indispensable role in the construction of the Italian woman’s persona. It was then that she firmly decided to pursue her dream of bringing famed Italian leather and Armenian craftsmanship together in her home country. The Amore brand launched in 2002 and opened its first artisanal factory in the suburbs of Yerevan. Fusing the Italian word for love, Amore, with Armenia’s famous Mt. Ararat, Anna says this about the company logo:

“ Mount Ararat is the mighty peak of every Armenian’s love. It is the beacon which they face, and home to which they return no matter where in the world they are. "

Amore has since expanded to include 4 locations in Armenia as well as a dozen boutiques in Moscow. Since 2008 Anna’s brand has been a staple at international fashion expos in Milan, Düsseldorf, Moscow, and Marseilles with plans to expand farther. Anna credits Amore’s success to her unwavering principles. For over 20 years, each handbag in each location was a product of 100% genuine Italian leather, and skilled Armenian craftsmanship. Like Mount Ararat, that guarantee of quality will never disappear.