Made in Italy news and archive

Lorenzo Bertelli (Prada): "thanks to AI, we will finally be able to value people who work with their hands"

Scandicci (Florence, Italy). “Technology and artificial intelligence will give us efficiency and free up time for high value-added work,” stated Lorenzo Bertelli, chief marketing officer and head of corporate social responsibility for the Prada Group, and the future CEO. Bertelli was in Scandicci in November, together with current CEO Andrea...

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Stefano Ricci: Turnover exceeds 152 million euros amid global expansion

Italian menswear specialist Stefano Ricci presented its new AW26/27 collection and, in doing so, also provided insights into current plans and the current financial year. Highlights include a new store in Rome, located on Via Bocca di Leone, and a new store in Washington, D.C., the sixth in the US. The brand has also launched a new equestrian...

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Tod’s CEO defends company ethics following labour exploitation allegations

"Made in Italy is one of our country's excellences, recognised worldwide," explained Diego Della Valle last Friday from Tod's headquarters in Milan. The executive's comments came after the city's Public Prosecutor's Office requested judicial administration for the Marche-based company, Tod's SpA, for allegedly negligently facilitating "severe...

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Italian leather industry closes 2024 with 30 billion euro turnover, down 8.6 percent

Milan - With approximately 10,000 active businesses, the Italian leather industry closed 2024 with a total turnover of 30 billion euros. This represents an 8.6 percent decrease compared to the previous year. The negative trend was also confirmed in the first six months of 2025, with a further 5.3 percent decline compared to the same period in...

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Retail

Jacob Cohën to enhance logistics and expand internationally

Jacob Cohën Company, the owner of the premium Made in Italy brand Jacob Cohën, has announced its new industrial plan for 2025–2029. The strategy focuses on enhancing logistics at its Piove di Sacco hub in the province of Padua, consolidating its fully Made in Italy production network across the Veneto region, and accelerating expansion in...

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Business|Reportage

The 'Prato system': corruption and illegal labour at the heart of the Italian textile industry

The fatal shooting of Zhang Dayong in Rome, who was found with six bullet wounds, initially seemed unconnected to Prato, Italy's textile hub. However, investigators now believe the murder is part of a brutal "hanger war" between rival Chinese mafia groups for control of Europe's largest garment manufacturing centre. This criminal escalation is...

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Fashion |Opinion

Made in Italy under scrutiny: A call for transparency and credibility

"Made in Italy" has recently come under intense scrutiny, not only due to tariffs that continue to penalise many sectors despite recent trade agreements, but primarily because of persistent issues surrounding illegal labor exploitation. Companies are also grappling with significant difficulties in effectively monitoring their entire supply...

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Fashion |Exclusive

Small Italian outerwear brand thrives despite pandemic

Four years ago we interviewed Antonella Arpaia, the co-founder of Manto, a small luxury outerwear brand based in Mantua, Italy, whose biggest market was the U.S. FashionUnited caught up with her again this month while she was here for sales meetings to learn how a purveyor of coats and weatherproofed jackets at an elevated price point has fared...

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Fashion

A subdued start to the season, Italy's menswear sector must deal with significant losses

Usually at this time of year buyers and press would be mid-show in a bustling Pitti Uomo in Florence, before heading to Milan for the first round of the men’s catwalk season. Pitti Uomo ends on Thursday, but its all-digital format means another menswear season goes by without a physical tradeshow, without the real-life connections between...

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Italian production boosts Brunello Cucinelli's third quarter results

Luxury Italian retailer Brunello Cucinelli closed its third quarter with positive signs of growth, citing a 3.6 percent increase compared to 2019. The Umbria-based company saw a 29.6 percent decline in the first half of the year, parallel to most luxury brands who faced store and retail closures across the globe. Cucinelli said its performance...

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Italy's artisan producers are under threat

Italy is home to scores of specialist manufacturers, from the smallest haute couture and specialty ateliers, to high-end technology leading factories producing men’s and womenswear, shoes and accessories, exported the world over. Italy’s fashion and accessories sector is a 93 billion dollar industry, one that powers global brands like Gucci and...

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Fashion

Fendi invests in new leather goods factory

Fendi is to invest 57 million euros in a leather goods factory in Florence. The details were revealed by Tuscany’s Regional Council which said Fendi, together with parent company LVMH, the Ministry of Economic Development and Invitalia, will sign an agreement to expand “a new plant that will employ 133 new employees for a total investment of...