The history of Matteograssi began in Mariano Comense, a small town situated in a small area called Brianza, located in lombardy, a region of northern italy, where the head of what was to become a dynasty of leather craftsmen opened a workshop in 1880. The sign over the entrance read "saddlery". Inside, the grassi family - Matteo and his wife, and later on, his sons - would carefully craft articles made of coach hide, such as saddles, bridles, reins and the full harness which horses need for work and transport.