On the 22nd February the conference held at Bocconi University, moderated by Francesco Perrini – Professor of Management at Bocconi University – and hosted by Bocconi Students for Fashion and Blab was a testimony not only of the importance of Made in Italy in the era of globalization, but also of successful entrepreneurship in Italy and, more specifically, in Naples. The guest-speakers, Maurizio Marinella – President and CEO E. Marinella Napoli –, Gianluca Isaia – President and CEO Isaia SpA – and Dario Di Vico – journalist at Corriere della Sera -, talked to us about producing handcrafted, tailor-made goods on a long-term basis. This last point highlights a problematic faced by many Italian…
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E-commerce: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
A constructive moment of discussion. This is what the event held on Wednesday, 23th November at Bocconi University, hosting Andrea Panconesi – CEO of Luisa Via Roma – and Paolo Mascio – President Online Flagship Stores of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group -, chaired by Emanuela Prandelli – LVMH Associate Professor at Bocconi University – and organised by Bocconi Students for Fashion, represented. It was a moment of discussion between the guests, between them and the students, and also between two fields that, as Professor Prandelli claimed, are traditionally considered to be very apart one from the other: luxury fashion and digitalization. Moreover, it was held at Bocconi University, a place where,…
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A chat over dinner with Alberto Baldan, CEO of La Rinascente
You may think that I am exaggerating, and to some extent it is true. I did not dine privately with Mr Baldan, but this is how the evening felt like to me. When I saw the event promoting a tasty aperitivo with the CEO of the most famous department store in Italy, I thought of one of those networking events where the guest awkwardly speaks for 5 minutes and then has to rush away. But I couldn’t be more wrong: organised by Hub Giovani, a group of inspired young students and professionals who get together to discuss about work, culture, innovation and much more, the aperitivo with Baldan was so enjoyable…
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Decades of Fashion: the 60s
“Hey mama hey mama – Look around -Everybody’s groovin’ to a brand new sound” Welcome to the 60s, Hairspray At the beginning of the Sixties, the world felt that something was changing. A rush of optimism was spreading around cities and, with the election of the new president of US, John F. Kennedy, in 1961, people believed that a new golden age had to start. The key actors of those years where those who were born after the World War II, also called the baby boomers. Having reached the teen age, the joyful, lighthearted youth embraced the pleasures of life without the knowledge of the dreads of past wars. They…
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The End of Big Chinese Fashion Manufacturers?
Over the past 30 years China has been a key pillar of manufacturing in general and even more of fashion manufacturing, but the last times has put the colossus under pressure. Nowadays Italy is the nearest competitor in fashion manufacturing , producing an eight of Chinese average output, but staying far far away from the surprising percentage of China, that yield the 60% of the world’s shoes and the 43% of world’s clothing. However Zhongguo is facing a storm that could lead to the loss of its primacy: the arrival on the scene of cheaper sourcing hubs in Africa and Asia and the always higher production costs, together with long term…
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Lineapiù Italia
Disclaimer: The following is not an advertisement for Lineapiù. The author visited Lineapiù as part of a school excursion. People often think of big brands and corporate-styled conglomerates when it comes to the business of fashion. However, manufacturers and contractors play an important role in the fashion ecosystem too. Without them, it would be difficult for companies that run on a horizontal system (put simply, they do not own their own mills and ateliers) to sustain themselves because owning everything cost money. Despite the importance of these manufacturers, there is little awareness on their creativity and the innovation they bring to the fashion industry. Lineapiù Italia is a great example. A Florentine based company,…
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Creative Directors: What’s Ahead?
Two days ago we were hit by the fresh news: Massimiliano Giornetti to exit Salvatore Ferragamo. Could have been striking, but with all the recent shifts in fashion houses’ creative reigns we just close the article tab thinking “agaaaaaaain”. Seems like in the world of fashion there’s just some kind of agreement to drive the observers crazy.. What’s going on? Alexander Wang, Stefano Pilati.. In between the whole buzz about Raf Simons. Shock and regret to wave goodbye to Alber Elbaz leaving Lanvin, speculation, rumors and guesses about the future of Hedi Slimane. While in case of the first events we reacted strongly, discussing, wondering and questioning, now it feels…
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Is The Luxury Market In Trouble?
The luxury industry has continually experienced growth in the last 5 years, and has rightfully gained its nickname as the “recession-proof” industry with the major consumers located in America, Europe and Asia. The largest one, Asia, accounts for 40% of global luxury sales in 2015. Recently, however, the luxury market has been put to the test. In the last few years, China has played an increasing role in the growth of the luxury market. Chinese natives are now players in international tourism, and this has given a huge boost to luxury brands worldwide, especially in Paris, Milan and New York. Every name brand has since opened stores in China, and…
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The Business of Fashion Week
Hey, it’s fashion week! Some of you are probably thinking ‘Oh god, another week of brilliantine, armies of models, maps in hand and crazy people strutting down the streets convinced they are THE new fashion icon’. Well, I can’t say that this won’t happen, but I can assure you, fashion is a lot more.
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Suit 101: The types of suit
Note: Suit 101 is a series dedicated on the finer side of menswear. Last week, we spoke of the suit as if there exists only one kind of suit. In fact, there are different kinds of suits that some guys may not have even heard or know about. As per usual, team BS4F will take you through an educational journey to further furnish your knowledge about suits, starting from… 1. The single breasted suit The single breasted suit is the most common form of suit. Its ubiquity lies in its practical nature — after all, it is much better to fiddle with one row of buttons than two, no? There…
