Louis Vuitton‘s men’s autumn/winter collection opened Paris Fashion Week (16-21 January). Pharrell Williams, the line’s creative director, was inspired by the Wild West for his second fashion show, complete with cowboy and workwear references. But it was LV’s new direction in bags that impressed insiders: from the iconic Speedy in “butter-soft leather” to the new […]
A comeback at Lineapelle based on participation, which aligns with the slogan of Lineapelle’s next edition (February 20-22 at Fieramilano): Be Part of This Game. The direction will be from Giorgio Linea, In The Making act II and will have a precise goal in mind: putting visitors to the test and have them make small […]
“We will never leave Italy for our manufacturing operation. Made-in-Italy is part of our company’s philosophy, even if this choice is having a big impact on our business currently”. Calzaturificio Soldini di Capolona (Arezzo) has a long history, and so does its footwear brand Antica Cuoieria. Francesca Soldini, third generation leading the company, discussed this...
London, New York, Milan. Three international capitals, three exhibition events, one common denominator: Lineapelle opens 2024 under a slogan intended to be “a participatory and inclusive invitation” addressed to the entire fashion, luxury and design community. A real call to action, as they say in the jargon. Be Part of This Game, in fact, “declines […]
More than even, price remains central at Expo Riva Schuh. The 100th edition of the fair (Riva del Garda, 13-16 January) is being impacted by news from the Middle East. The market continues to take the shape of an hourglass. Clients either buy luxury products or they focus on price and aim towards the lower...
At Expo Riva Schuh (Riva del Garda, 13-16 January) the boot dilemma is on stage. Go for it for the coming winter season? Or take the increasingly warmer climate into account? Companies must take fashion and climate into account to satisfy the public. Where is the customer who follows the fashion trend and the one...
Velasca went from 5 to 90 employees and extended itself from footwear to leather goods and apparel. The brand today has around 30 suppliers in Italy, with which it has built an efficient supply chain. “Internalizing production? Not for now. And that’s fine”, says Marco Lacchini which has been leading the product development, production and...
Exports of Italian leather handbags slow to +3.7%, according to data from Assopellettieri regarding the first 9 months of 2023. What emerges is a “Fall-slowdown for foreign sales” and a “strongly-impacted production activity”. This 4th quarter will likely not bring any good news, and operators expects the inversion of the trend for the second half […]
From designing automobiles to futuristic backpacks, handbags and leather accessories. The new brand Alberto Olivero, founded in 2022 by the designer by the same name (expert designer of cars), participated in Pitti Uomo 105. He does so with a collection that mixes luxury leather with carbon fiber. We met the founder at the last edition...
We asked three questions to Antonio De Matteis, CEO of Kiton since 2007. The company, which Ciro Paone founded in Naples in 1968, has a turnover of over 160 million euros (2022 figure), 85% of which is generated by exports. It has five production sites, around 800 employees, and last November announced a 30 million...
For almost ten years, Duepuntotto has been an active brand in the pet world in the luxury segment. Anna Bussolotto, a portrait photographer, and her husband Giovanni Vedana founded the company 2.8 Design for Dogs in 2016 in Veneto. Their aim is to create “beautiful and functional objects to dedicate to their beloved dachshunds Quintale...
The chain continues to strengthen itself and conduct operations. From sneakers’ brand D.A.T.E., to US-based Authentic Brands Group, and again the deal between Lectra and Launchmetrics: there is no end in sight. M&A operations continue to take place so that companies become more solid and widen their offer and production capacity. SMBs and giants alike...
2023 was a challenging year for Brazil’s tanning industry. A year marked by more exported volume compared to 2022, but also one during which revenue dropped 8.3%. Data was collected by CICB, the tanning association of Brazil, on the basis of the elaboration of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Services. Overall, leather exports from […]
The attention shifts back to products. High-end companies at Pitti Uomo (Florence) are changing their priorities after years during which they dedicated most of their resources to communication, digitalization and brand image. Products are reacquiring their central role and becoming a determining competitive factor at a time where supply surpasses demand and prices are up...
The New Year will bring new luxury price increases: yes or no? Insiders’ opinions are divided. There are those who predict a slowdown in the frequency of price increases, because many brands cannot go any higher. There are instead those who think that nothing will change, and that brands will continue to do so. Perhaps...
The number of requests to use redundancy funds from Tuscan companies of the fashion segment is increasing. This peak is just the last alarm being sound by a system that, especially when it comes to third-party manufacturers, feels “the whiplash effect of the fashion industry”, as written by McKinsey. The slowdown of business for large […]
Destined to shut down, even if for a short period, or for good, depending on the decisions by authorities. Asian news sources report tensions between China and India, where tanneries under the microscope of local governments: for environmental reasons and more. At risk of shutting down Authorities have started their annual inspections of companies in...
Mother Nature would not like FineWoven at all. The animal-free material launched by Apple and used instead of leather for the covers of the new Iphone 15 is the exact opposite of a green solution. This is claimed by UNIC – Italian Tanneries, which commissioned comparative research to Ars Tinctoria, a laboratory specialised in organic […]
The context is clear. On one end are some (often many), trying to force the fashion segment to abandon leather and fur in the name of supposedly better-performing and more moral alternatives, all to be proven. On the other are players such as LVMH, basing their decisions on facts. Facts say there are no alternatives...
Of course, as a fashion entrepreneur Stella McCartney is involved in her own brand activities. But it is very interesting to hear her confess that half of her job is veg lobbying, that is, lobbying governments to change laws and regulations in a direction she likes. It is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, because Stella...
