Tuscan Depression. Entrepreneurs in the leather goods and footwear supply chain fear that the crisis is only just beginning, as they look for a way out. Costs are rising, quantities being produced are falling, investments made are now weighing. Generational turnover isn’t taking place as hoped, and foreign competition is growing increasingly fierce. The challenges...
The paradox of the crisis: new investments are needed to challenge it: Shoe factories are evaluating restarting their brands; leather factories must reorganize and structure themselves to meet audits and demands from designer labels. The rebus of the supply chain in Veneto is faced with choices that are not easy to make. But at the...
Between 2019 and 2024, the Marche region has lost 4,415 jobs across the footwear and leather goods sectors — equating to an 18.5% decline in employment, the highest percentage drop in Italy. In the Marche region, the fashion industry’s ongoing crisis adds to a long list of negative events. Which ones? The earthquake, the collapse […]
Ecco Leather is back in action. During the night between Sunday 4th and Monday 5th May, a massive fire struck the tannery in Dongen (Netherlands). Initially, there were fears that operations would be halted — a concern also shared by Mayor Hans Slagboom. However, the message received by La Conceria from Ecco Leather offers hope. […]
Chanel, often keen to highlight its ties to Italian craftsmanship, has quietly carried out a string of small-scale acquisitions of French suppliers—small workshops and manufacturing firms. As Glitz.Paris reports, the brand acted with a certain discretion (a common practice among luxury players), opting not to use its name directly but instead making purchases through affiliated […]
The Hamburg division of the Unified Patent Court has ruled in favour of Gucci: following a legal dispute that began in 2022, the court has found that the leather prints on accessories from the Pikarar collection (pictured) do not infringe AGFA’s patent. However, the court did not uphold the Kering Group brand’s request to annul...
Rino Mastrotto presents HEARTH. The group based in Trissino (Vicenza, Italy) showcased on May 8, in Florence, the patent for a tanning process that brings a 91% reduction in water consumption, along with a 23% decrease in use of chemicals in re-tanning, dyeing and fattening. Rino Mastrotto, who developed HEARTH (applicable to more than 200...
A 2 million-bond to grow, issued by Turin-based Foglizzo Leather, which will use the sum to build a new production site in Piedmont. Production capacity: 1 million square meters of leather. “Foglizzo is entering a very important new phase, involving organizational, production and strategic adjustments”, say Paolo and Marco Foglizzo co-CEOs of Foglizzo Leather. The […]
Conceria Pasubio has completed two acquisitions in Tuscany, acquiring 100% of both Conceria Antiba and SK!N. The Veneto-based group, which has been owned by French private equity firm PAI Partners since 2021, finalised the deals on 17 April and this past February, respectively. According to BeBeez, which broke the news, the acquisition of Conceria Antiba […]
The crocodile tears of the Oost Gelre municipal council (Netherlands) are rather amusing. First, it evicts Vitelco Leather from its Lichtenvoorde site after a lengthy legal dispute. Then, upon learning that the leather group has no intention of reinvesting in the area, it reacts with surprise: “Really? But what about the workers?” Oost Gelre council […]
Working to have leather excluded from the Annex I of the EUDR is the stated goal of national and international tanning associations such as UNIC and Cotance. Now the entire supply chain can do its part to achieve the goal: up until May 13, the European Commission is holding public consultation on the proposed amendment […]
Prada outperformed its competitors in the first quarter of 2024, largely thanks to its leather goods. And yet, the company’s shares are underperforming. In 2024, they had risen by 35% compared to the luxury sector’s average of just +4%. But by early 2025, they had dropped by 24%, while the sector average fell by only...
LVMH is implementing lay-offs. VF Corp is doing the same. Lanvin Group increasing losses. Luxury stocks are being downgraded by analysts, as in the case of Moncler. After Gucci-Kering, LVMH is also facing headwinds that are limiting its growth. The present time of luxury is (very) turbulent. Moncler downgraded HSBC downgraded Moncler from “buy” to...
Thumbs up to leather, but not to politics. Associations representing the Italian fashion industry, while at Luxury Summit 2025, sharply criticized politics, which was absent in the market, just as it was on stage at the event organized by Il Sole 24 Ore. Instead, Chiara Mastrotto, CEO of Gruppo Mastrotto, communicated the virtuosity of leather...
“You need to be patient. Even with objects”. The story of Oscarmaschera is one steeped in a passion for leather, craftsmanship, and taking things slowly. This is a women-run company that produces everything from belts for luxury labels to home accessories, all distinguished by the use of vegetable-tanned leather. The brand, based in Cartoceto in...
In the post-pandemic years, the phenomenon of luxury handbags as safe-haven assets appeared to be a sign of strength for the luxury market. It was mentioned every time a rare Hermès bag fetched an increasingly exorbitant price at auction, or when private collections of leather goods became collateral to present at the bank. The perceived […]
Independence runs in the family. At a time when acquisitions and supply-chain mergers are the norm, the strength of family-run businesses continues to surprise. Thanks to the solidity and drive brought by generational transition, Conceria Enterprise (based in Santa Croce sull’Arno) has successfully celebrated its first forty years of business. The company, founded in 1985...
Just what we were missing—Jurassic Bags. The T-Rex may soon be resurrected in the most unlikely form: that of luxury handbags. Thanks to a collaboration between VML, The Organoid Company (a leader in genomic engineering), and Lab-Grown Leather, bioengineered leather from the ancient king of the Cretaceous period could soon enter production. Could it work? […]
“Luxury keeps us up to date with fashion trends. And it did us a favour by raising prices”, says Elena Iachini, who, along with her sister Marcella (head of administration), runs the footwear manufacturer Strategia, based in Civitanova Marche (Macerata). The company competes by focusing on style, product offering, and the value it provides. The...
There are signs of life in manufacturing. France and Spain are making moves. It’s not just Hermès building new leather goods facilities. In Sainte-Savine (around two hours from Paris), Maison Jean Rousseau is constructing a new building to increase production capacity. Meanwhile, Spain is seeing a notable rise in employment in the footwear and leather […]
