Designers turn to Milan men's fashion week

Milan men's fashion week is geared to be the hot ticket for the men's shows in June this season. New additions to the already jam-packed designer schedule include Dries van Noten, who formerly showed his men's collections at Paris Men's Fashion Week. Following van Noten is Marc Jacobs, who also plans to show his men's collection in Milan. Marc Jacobs previously featured male models during his women's New York show, both for his mainline and diffusion range Marc by Marc.

Milan Men's Fashion Week is organised the by the National Chamber for Italian Fashion and is a non-profit making Association which promotes the development of Italian Fashion. The Association represents all the highest cultural values of Italian Fashion. It aims to protect, co-ordinate and strengthen its image, both in Italy and abroad.

Recent agreements over international calendars, which have led to the signing of the Italian-French agreement, have given Milan and the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana the role of undisputed protagonist on the international fashion scene, thus also contributing to the consolidation of alliances with London and New York.

www.cameramoda.it
27 April 2007

On|Off to show in Milan

UK designer exhibition On|Off will showcase during Milan fashion Week at the White exhibition this week. The directional Milanese exhibition is the ideal platform for British designers to showcase their collections to reach a wider international market.? The On|Off designers include Aimee McWilliams, Aman Copland, Avsh Alom Gur, Richard Sorger, Romina Karamanea and Yuchi.

On|Off director Lee Lapthorne comments 'Our target has always been to take On|Off and our designers to another level & broaden our profile worldwide, and White is the perfect vehicle for On|Off's global pr & marketing strategy plan. On|Off look forward to building a strong bond with Milan Fashion Week and WHITE'.? 

Giulia Frascari of White comments: “Discovering new talents and following their evolution has always been the mania of White. We believe the UK is the cradle of creativity, a breeding ground for new designers. We believe that Milan is the best window for them”.White runs from 22nd – 25th February 2007?At Superstudiopiu – Via Tortona, 27 Milano.

www.thedoll.org/onoff/
19 February 2007

Etro goes for growth

Family-owned Italian fashion house is on the brink of a major international expansion and plans to roll out at least 20 stores over the next few years.
The house is continuing its diversification into accessories and is entering emerging markets in the Middle East and Russia. The company has just signed a deal with Dubai-based retailer Paris Gallery to open eight more stores in the region between 2007 and 2008. There are even plans to open department store concessions selling accessories and fragrances and featuring a new concept with an in-store architect who will design homes for Etro customers.

“That is a market that in this moment is seeing an incredible boom,” commercial manager Fabio Gnocchi told WWD. “Dubai is a constant construction project.”
There is also a retail lifestyle and entertainment center project called Etro Lounge in the works for Kuwait City, which could open next year. The firm is also looking to open an Etro-branded resort in Bali, which will feature the brand’s fabrics and furnishings and a spa.

Etro did not reveal its profit figures, but Gnocchi did say that “sales growth isn’t what stresses us. What we are concerned with is maintaining our profit margin.” He said that the Etro family had considered an initial public offering but had discarded the idea for the company’s sake.
“We’ve always taken a step-by-step strategy. Because we don’t have to answer to anyone but ourselves and we don’t have to answer to shareholders…(we can) decide where we want to go, what we want to do and how we do it,” he said.

Etro saw its 2005 revenues rise 24 percent to €230 million, with growth spread evenly over the various geographic regions. US sales were particularly strong, rising 40 percent to €50.6 million or 22 percent of total turnover. Italy accounted for 23 percent, while the rest of Europe accounted for 22 percent. Japan and the rest of Asia represent 20 percent.

www.etro.com
4 May 2006

China raises stake in Italy

China is no longer satisfied with being a destination for cheap production and is looking to raise its business stake in the Italian fashion industry. Chinese companies are therefore either looking to acquire Italian textile mills, which are suffering as a result of competition from China, or to establish joint ventures to launch new brands or distribute existing Italian brands in China.

“ China is no longer content with producing goods – it wants to go to the next level, to share brand vision, to be part of a distribution plan and bring added value to a project,” Alfredo Canessa, chairman of Ballantyne, told WWD. The knitwear company is launching a new brand called Chinese Cashmere Company together with Hong Kong-based Fenix. Franco Penè, chairman of manufacturing company Gibò told WWD: “I am 100 percent sure that the Chinese will enter Europe this way, not with their own brands, but buying international brands that have their own distribution network.”

For those Italians feeling threatened by the Chinese invasion, Alberto Del Biondi of design studio Industria del Design, has this to say: “They way the Chinese can imitate business models is impressive –their learning abilities are extraordinary and so is their economic potential. What will help us? The brand and our tradition, good taste and quality. We believe ideas are the most valuable asset on the market and, fortunately, those abound in Europe .”

22 February 2006

Fourth Italian outlet for McArthurGlen

British designer outlet operator McArthurGlen has said that it is opening its fourth designer outlet in Italy near Naples. The opening is expected for 2007. The new outlet will encompass 26,000 square metres and will be “one of the most spectacular McArthurGlen outlet villages”. Its existing outlet centres sell brands such as Bulgari, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada, Nike, Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermengildo Zegna and Brioni.

“We're very much looking forward to opening our centre near Naples and we're confident that the experience we've garnered through our existing centres in Italy will enable us to make a success of our newest development and that we'll give the Campania region of Italy a designer outlet centre to be proud of,” said chairman KW Kaempfer in a statement. The company operates 13 designer outlets throughout Europe.

www.mcarthurglen.com
23 January 2006

Bruno Magli announces appointments and plans

Italian fashion brand Bruno Magli SpA has announced two executive appointments within its North American team, as well as plans for retail expansion. James Mullaney has been appointed managing director and remains CFO of Bruno Magli USA , while Randy Routh has been promoted to director of sales for the division. Mullaney will be responsible for day-to-day operations of all operational, sales and financial matters. Routh, meanwhile, will manage all sales activities for men's, women's and the accessories categories.

“In a direct response to continued growth in our business, we have taken the steps to invest in and promote key individuals on our team in North America ,” said president and creative director of the Group, Aaron Schwartz. The company also announced its plan to open a new flagship boutique in Milan as well as another 12 new single-brand stores and shop-in-shop locations worldwide over the next six months. Bruno Magli plans to have 63 points of sale by the end of the year, and 10 more by the middle of 2006.

www.brunomagli.com
14 September 2005

Belli Ragazzi

Milan is hosting another blistering week of fashion. This time it's the men's turn, with summer 2006 styles on the brain and on the catwalk.

The week opened on Sunday with a risqué Dolce & Gabbana show promoting a new look at their downtown Milan headquarters. Tops were tight and bottoms were baggy and worn dangerously low. At one point one of the models discovered that his were just too low. Shorts were a mere pair of briefs. While describing the collection to reporters before the show, Stefano Gabbana posed the rhetorical question: "Sexy, no?" Well, that all depends on who is doing the looking and the wearing.

The look was clearly all about hard bodies and borderline exhibitionism for day. Evening brought about more sophistication, albeit of the footballer variety, with shiny silk suits in gold or silver worn with crisp white shirts. Colourful running shoes were reserved for day.

Sunday night was Donatella's time to shine with a whole lotta Miami Vice chic in the mix. Not entirely surprising, considering she has been commissioned to design the outfits for Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx for the remake of the 80's "Miami Vice" television series. Miami occupies a special, and rather bittersweet place, in the heart of the designer. After all, it is where her brother was murdered in 1997. The collection consisted of colourful prints, white linen suits with dark shirts and pastel ties and two-tone laced shoes. Actor Rupert Everett, sitting in the front row, appeared to approve of the look.

For evening, Donatella went darker. The models strutted their stuff in body-skimming black leather pants and jackets and see-through fishnet T-shirts. The look? "I wanted Latin, exotic and hot," Donatella told FWD. Everyone was in agreement that this was one of her best men's collections to date. FWD's Godfrey Deeny called the collection "the most crisp, clear and concise sent out by Donatella Versace in many seasons".

Also on Sunday, Jil Sander presented its collection, designed by a team who has taken over until Raf Simons joins the company in the fall. The founding designer's eye for detail was missing in this collection, but the look remained stylish and preppy. The week continues busily, with Giorgio Armani scheduled to round off the shows with his version of summer 2006.

28 June 2005

Gianfranco Ferre Seeks Growth With Product Diversity

Massimo Macchi, the newly appointed chief executive officer of Ferre is focussing on accessories to bring more profitability to the company. In 2004, Ferre reported sales of 143 million euros, up 22 percent compared with 2003, and Macchi expects a 10 percent yearly growth over the next five years.

According to WWD, Italy is one of Ferre's main markets, accounting for 35 percent of sales. The rest of Europe, including Eastern Europe and Russia, accounts for 34 percent of sales, with Russia increasingly emerging as a strong market. Macchi said the company is working on rebalancing its geographic markets, pushing business in the U.S., which today accounts for 9 percent of revenues, and Asia, which accounts for 15 percent of sales. Macchi views the accessories division as a means to further penetrate the American market.

The signature line is available at eight brand stores, 45 franchised stores and 700 points of sale around the world, down from 1,000 a few years ago - a consequence of a more selective distribution. GF Ferre is available at 10 franchised boutiques and 600 multibrand stores. For his part, Macchi clearly maps out his next steps: "My immediate goals are to correctly position our labels, aggressively expand the accessories division and strengthen our communication."

Next up is the development of a handbag to become the classic bag that will identify the brand in the leather goods arena. Ferre is working with Sergiolin, a renowned leather goods company here, and the new bag should be ready by the end of the year. "Many monothematic brands expanded into other categories, such as Gucci, for example," said Macchi. "Our core business is clothing, and we need to diversify the other way around, but I believe it's simpler and more natural to go from clothing to accessories."

He added that he wants accessories that can stand on their own and are more approachable. "We want to offer larger collections: shoes, for example, with heels in different heights, not only runway stiletto shoes. They'll still be high-end, but less couture-like."

While courting a younger clientele with its GF Ferre line, the company also is pushing for exclusivity. For fall, it introduced a special-order service that allows customers to choose designs from a selection of Ferre's evening gowns in different variations. Also, by the end of the year, the company will offer a custom-made service for men at its brand stores. "Custom-made is in Mr. Ferre's nature," said Macchi.

Industry sources speculated earlier this year that the designer was mulling the idea of launching his own couture line. Macchi said this project was not in the works right now, but did not rule it out for the future. "If and when an element becomes important for a company, things can change - we must always be flexible," he said.

8 June 2005

Italy celebrates with fashion

Last night Italy's fashion great came together in the spirit of unity as they celebrated the anniversary of the birth of the Italian Republic. Donatella Versace, Giorgio Armani, Valentino and Gianfranco Ferre combined some of their best designs in an open-air show in a beautiful Roman square last night. The event, entitled Una Notte a Roma Con…, which translates as A night in Rome with…The show will air on Thursday night on Italian television.

The designers had apparently decided to make a real party of it and had invited a few famous friends to join in the festivities. Valentino had invited Gwyneth Paltrow and while Versace had Rupert Everett join in.

2 June 2005

Beating The Italians At Their Game

Aren't footballers the ultimate ambassadors of chic? Young, stylish, often goodlooking and very, very rich. Now, for the first time, the Italian football team has turned its back on its wealth of native talent and chosen a British designer to create its off-pitch wardrobe for Euro 2004.

Italian fashion pundits labeled the deal with Devon-born Neil Barrett the end of an era. The 37-year-old pushed aside top names such as Giorgio Armani, who kits out the England team, and Pal Zileri to wind the deal, said to be worth GBP200,000. In another first, sportswear giant Puma also chose Barrett to draw up the team's strip for the tournament. Miles Freeland, a spokesman for Barrett, said: "It's fantastic news. It is a real coup for him. Everyone is delighted, non more so than Neil."

Freeland further added: "Some of the Italians are a little bit upset and, if we can beat them in the final it would be a double victory." Barrett trained at the Royal College of Art and spent five years with Gucci before moving to Prada. He now has his own label with branches in Milan, London and Tokyo.

16 January 2004

Milan presents next winter collections

Milan Fashion Week fall/winter 2003/04 opened on Monday with a day dedicated to debutants, like Nippon Evisu showing a urban femininity made of denim outfits and military style. Luciano Soprani debuted with a new designer, Alessandro Turci, renewing the brand with a refined collection. Games of darts and bias cuts enriched the new style. Well-known Anna Molinari proposed a fairy fashion suitable to young and dreamy women. Clips carried on its journey towards the definition of a more and more sensual woman. Deep necklines are matched with high-heeled shoes and suits, even with micro-skirt, for the day, while laces characterize the evening.
The second day of Milan catwalks dedicated to debutants presents Silvia Tcherassi, Farhad and Seta Ichiro and two legendary names such as Coveri and Biagiotti Roma.

Enrico Coveri opened the day proposing an adult woman wearing a material confidence and alternating knee-length skirts and comfortable tees for the day to necklines and full-length garments for the evening.
Aigner was designed and refreshed by Ines Valentinitsch. Asymmetric dresses, ponchos and printed coats were paired with shoulder bags and fur busbies embellishing the new peculiarities of the silhouette proposed by the Austrian fashion house. Debutant Silvia Tcherassi plays with materials, above all with creased silk.

Laura Biagiotti Roma (see picture) relies on sport to design her propositions but in a soft and chic way typical of this brand. Cargo pants and miniskirts, tuxedos in denim and asymmetric mini dresses keep faith to the peculiarities of the collections designed by Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna.
The third day of catwalks can be symbolized with words like "luxury and journey". Debutant Livia Cardinale opened with her collection dedicated to a refined woman. Ines Valentinitsch presented graphic patterns dedicated to dance. The Austrian designer proposes a collection based on a silhouette ready for fox trot and 80s disco.

Maska proposed a woman betting on luxury. Suits are exalted by tan hues, while fur conquers overbearingly her clothing, even little details for the evening. Simonetta proposed furs suitable to the whole day and season, drawing inspiration from the 70s. Aliviero Martini presented strengthened collars and daring clothing that is emphasized with lively colours contrasting "space darkness", because future woman will modern but still human. Tomaso Stefanelli, Daniela Gregis and Giorgio Correggiari ended this day.

February 28, 2003