After twenty five  dedicated years in the fashion business, Karen Towers decided to put her knowledge and experience to her own Buying Office and founded Buying Service International in December 2000.  Subsequently, her son, Alan,  has joined forces and has come in as a partner in the company.

The office stands in one of Florence’s most beautiful sites, close to Via Tornabuoni, the famous fashion area of Florence and facing on to the river Arno and with enchanting views of the Ponte Vecchio, the Tuscan hillsides in the distance and the wonderful Renaissance buildings along the river.

Strategically situated in Florence, the capital of Tuscany and centre of the Fashion production of the most famous brands in the luxury leather industry enables us to be in easy and close contact with the finest suppliers and makers of all of the most important components in the industry, from the leather industry ,the manufacture of soles, lasts , hardware and fabrics. However, being in central Italy we are also in a position to reach out to other important regions of Italy that also work in the industry ,  such as the Veneto and Marche regions, without too much difficulty or long distance travelling.

The  Buying Service International team’s expertise is in all categories of footwear, bags  and leather goods  and all pertaining to it, including research into  the raw materials involved, leathers, soles, fabrics and metal accessories with the major focus on the high end fashion .