Intimo più mare n° 196 - Luglio 2014

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
particular emphasis on special market niches. We create innovative
collection with a high degree of fashion content, but without losing
sight of people’s practical needs; our products have to be smart and
up-to-date, but we always put a top priority of things like fit.
Sabrina Tonti (Gruppo Intimo Italiano)
During moments of enormous change like the current period, upheavals
in both the marketplace and society, the manufacturing community
has to be ready to constantly catch and correctly interpret the signals
arriving from all quarters. Retail shoppers are becoming more and
more savvy, informed and demanding. For this reason it is necessary
to apply strategies aimed at creating qualified retail outlets. This is essential
because today’s shoppers are looking for more than products;
they want a shopping experience, to be gratified on both an aesthetic
and a functional level. They have become accustomed to making their
own selections personally. Based on these considerations we have
developed and launched our Retail project both in Italy and abroad,
a project which sees us acting as partners to those who are already
our customers as well as established clients. This project involves
the opening of shop-in-shop operations or single-brand stores. In
addition to this it is increasingly important to continue carrying out
scrupulous design research aimed at staying abreast of the latest
developments, new styles and trends. Quality pays off in a big way
and it is especially rewarding to pursue strategies that always put a
major emphasis of providing quality at a fair price. Finally, I don’t want
to forget the crucial role played by communication. It is necessary
to be able to convey on a daily basis one’s own particular system of
values, promoting constantly new activities and initiatives. In addition
to the established values, the customers must be able to find all sorts
of novelty and excitement in every collection.
Cristina Novati (Creazioni Bip Bip)
In my opinion the various formulas for dealing with the financial crisis
represent valid strategies for my company, ways that enable us to
effectively manage the constantly changing market situation. We are
diversifying out products, adapting them in terms of look, price and
packaging as well as the modalities and tools related to display and
sales which are suitable for the various markets and distribution channels
we are currently targeting. By way of supporting these objectives
we are continuing to manufacture exclusively products which we are
proud to say have been made in Italy and this serves to elevate the
quality of all our lines.
We constantly strive to come up with new ideas, new product concepts
with the objective of selling more and more effectively han
the competition, assisting our customers (whether they be retailers,
distributors or private labels) to differentiate their selection, customizing
it in such a way that shoppers may be assured of finding in
the collection we design and product products that are distinctive
and conspicuously different from one generally find available in the
marketplace. Our garments feature fine quality, an impeccable look
and exclusive design as their strong points, capable of both attracting
and satisfying shoppers. By way of confirming this support, we are
presenting for the s-s 2015 collection our completely new lifestyle
brand: Bonjour et Bonne Nuit, offering a smart line of sleepwear for
men, women and children, designed to appeal to the retail shoppers.
Gianni Busanna (Le Bonitas)
In order to overcome the financial crisis one is endeavoring to develop
new partnerships with the most important customers in order to find
forms of collaboration which will tend to more securely bond them
with the company. Along with this, we are constantly on the lookout
for new licenses with a very high level of style content, capable of
standing out from mass-oriented products and those carried by the
large chain operations. It is in this context that we recently acquired
the exclusive Emamò license.
Luca Bazoni (CSP International Fashion Group)
I think it’s practically impossible to find a surefire formula for overcoming
the crisis in as much as there are so many different aspects to
the downturn and they are all quite different. I do believe, however,
that the most worthwhile and effective ingredient of any formula
for combating this economic crisis must sure consist of all those
activities which make it possible for a manufacturer to reduce the
gap which exists between themselves and the marketplace (i.e. the
retail shopper). Indeed, managing to grasp and react to in a timely
and accurate manner what the market is asking for must surely
represent a successful ploy, one capable of of unleashing a virtuous
cycle within the company in terms of sales and credibility on the part
of the retail customer.
Patrizia Giangrossi (Pierre Mantoux)
There’s no such thing as a single formula for overcoming the financial
crisis; if there were all of us would have tried to implement it. The real
problem nowadays is the drop in consumption. The whole paradigm
has changed and the pie has grown smaller. Shoppers have become
accustomed to choosing from among a number of different purchase
venues and among different sorts of organizations (single-label
stores, multi-label stores, chain operation, department stores and,
most recently, e-commerce). Our goal is to see to it that shoppers
select our multi-label stores over other competing sales venues. One
must not rely on old practices, doing what has always seemed to
work in the past; it is essential to seek out innovative new solutions
and approaches. There are a number of important initiatives which
can be implemented, beginning with specialization and developing
credibility in the eyes of contemporary and future shoppers. I have
noticed, for example, that the stores with a product selection aimed
at satisfying basic needs like fit and comfort have suffered less than
the other stores (first and foremost the chain operations) which are
unable to satisfy this crucial requirement. By the same token, stores
featuring high levels of fashion content (the right mix of fashion and
innovation) thanks to the technique of visual merchandising and
the Internet have been able to generate a solid base of shoppers
who know how to find the best fashion-forward brands in a store.
Stimulating new purchases: this is obviously easier said than done,
the effective utilization of the store windows, a Facebook page and
promotional special devoted to the customers definitely tend to garner
better results than simply sitting back and doing nothing. A carefully
balanced product selection: select the brand which, in addition to
identifying an appealing product, also manage to provide service
(like changing the goods during the course of the season), concept
windows and advertising the store on the Internet, all with the goal of
generating winning partnerships and ones built to last over time, for
the benefit of both the manufacturer and the customer.
Roberta Becchi (Spiman)
The Magie Italiane collections are the result of a painstaking design
process aimed at expanding the selection for the customer, featuring
types of materials and models that easily work together in order to
satisfy market requirements. The collection for fall-winter 2013/14
focused on support fabrics and the range of sizes, featuring bras
and bodysuits which are also suitable for the specialized orthopedic
market. For spring-summer 2014, on the other hand, we focused on
the velocity of getting our products out, with a type of basic article
suitable for everyday comfort and boasting price points one could
easily terms as crisis-fighting for bras with differentiated cup sizes.
If affordable pricing is one of our top priorities, it is just as true that
the product must always provide the sort of fit it promises; it simply
wouldn’t make any sense to sell a bra with a low price that fits poorly.
The Magie formula for dealing with the financial crisis then is actually
the same one that has inspired the company philosophy ever since its
inception: offering a products make in Italy which combines the fit of
larger sizes for a fair price. In our opinion the financial crisis should
be dealt with by lowering prices, but with the firm intention of always
ensuring high quality workmanship and valid products.
Sonia Villa (Studio 50/Lisca Italia)
This talk about the financial crisis that one has been hearing for some
time now is actually characterizing this point in our history. What’s to
be done about it? First of all it’s necessary to transform the negativity
inherent in the term into an opportunity for constructive, creative
thinking, analyzing the situation with clarity in order to reach the best
informed conclusion. But how? This is the time and we have to restart
from here, not allowing ourselves to become bogged down in old ways
of doing things but rather reacting, gathering information and paying
attention to what the marketplace has to offer at the point in time. We