The Italian brand (owned by the French LVMH) extends the list of those who land around Florence to produce its leather goods accessories. The new factory will open at the end of 2020 in Bagno a Ripoli and, for the Tuscan municipality, it will be a real revolution
It will employ approximately 350 employees. It will host a center of production, development, materials research and training of young artisans. The new Fendi Tuscan factory will be built in Capannuccia, in the territory of Bagno a Ripoli, near Florence, and will redevelop a building in a state of decay, the former Brunelleschi Furnace, transforming it into a very modern production plant. The opening of the new headquarters is expected by the end of 2020. The project of the Roman maison is nothing but the last landing in Tuscany of the high fashion labels. A real migration that has seen the great names of luxury take root around Florence. And those roots… Take Gucci for example: last June it inaugurated its colossal ArtLab in Scandicci: 37,000 square meters recovered inside the former Matec shoe factory, where today more than 800 employees work for the production of shoes and bags. And then take Fendi, whose entry into the boundaries of the Municipality of Bagno a Ripoli announces many positive repercussions for the entire community. “A degraded area, subject to bankruptcy, which for years had caused pollution problems, will find new life thanks to a top-level company in the world of fashion and luxury”, says Mayor Francesco Casini. The new structure will produce bags and leather goods and, from an employment point of view, it will offer 350 new jobs. “In addition to an internal school for employees – explains Casini -, the project will also provide support from Fendi to institutional initiatives in the field of training for the development of a skilled workforce in the sector”. An architectural plan of high sustainability will enhance the landscape in an area that need to be protected, between Florence and Chianti. Then a large green area will be built and a parking lot for all the citizens. Finally, the intervention of the LVMH group envisages a concrete investment in the upgrading of local public transport, in order to further improve the connections with this area. “Urban planning opportunities, new infrastructures, hiring and the creation of new professional skills”, summarizes the mayor with fulfilment. If this is luxury, it seems to mean, it is welcome. (lf)
From the Emilio Pucci’s escape till today
Who remembers the historic farewell to Florence by Emilio Pucci at the end of 2016? Among the main reasons that led the Florentine fashion house to move to Milan (already home to the commercial and creative offices), was that to “create greater efficiency and better operational synergy”. In fact, the brand attributed to the Tuscan capital and neighboring municipalities a lack of infrastructures and fundamental connections to its logistics network. Just over two years later, something seems to have changed, and may be going to fill this gap. “We are working with Fendi for an infrastructural strengthening of the area – explained the mayor of Bagno a Ripoli, Francesco Casini – thanks to a three-way agreement between the company, the municipality and the Tuscany region. It is fundamental for the territory between the Chianti area and the city of Florence, for which there has already been an initial allocation of resources”. By 2023 the line of the tramway connecting Bagno a Ripoli to the city of Florence and the main places of interest in the metropolitan area (such as the airport, for example) will be extended. As far as the highway is concerned, the extension of the third lane is under way and the toll booth of South Florence will soon be called South Florence-Bagno a Ripoli. Connection is everything, even in fashion and, as the mayor states, “the territory does not want to lose the opportunity for big companies to invest here, guaranteeing new jobs”.
Welcome to the Leather Goods Valley
They are all around Florence, in Scandicci. Big brands and luxury ones. Some historical independent realities, like (just to name two), Sapaf 54 and Bianchi e Nardi. An audience of excellent contractors, 57% of whom, according to a research carried out by CNA Florence, work for Gucci. Third parties such as B&G that, last June, sold 100% of its capital to the French giant Maroquinerie Thomas, production partner to the most important transalpine houses.
