Intimo più mare n° 200 - Luglio 2015

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
have never opted for outsourcing. We place an enormous emphasis
on product quality (including the quality of how the goods are made
up and the quality of the fabric, but especially on the printing techniques
a) and customer service. This is a policy that is also based on
a market demand, not to mention the specific requests of our customers.
In the marketplace one finds ever more mass-oriented products
offered for low prices (a result, among other things, of outsourcing).
Manufacturing in Italy clearly leads to higher costs, but there are also
clear advantages. In addition to the better quality, producing in Italy
ensures quicker delivery times and a better organization of the work,
not to mention the significant gains in terms of styling and design.
Jery Tommolini (Pin-Up Stars)
Rather than set up partnerships with multi-label stores, we prefer to
open single-label stores of our own. When it comes to strategies, by
this point we are among the few in the beachwear sector who can still
boast offering products that are really made in Italy, a consideration
which for us means know-how, technology, innovation and research.
We turn out collections that are not determined by price considerations,
offering non-repetitive lines. Speaking more specifically about
our lines, Pop, presented for the very first time last year, is the fruit of
an ironic, playful, fun inspiration. It has a slightly younger target than
either Pin-Up Stars or Agogoa and makes it possible to have a slightly
more affordable price, but one that is still influenced by the fact of
having been exclusively made in Italy. We have defined Agogoa as
easy-to-wear, an easy-going, everyday sort of product, because the
workmanship is less sophisticated than is the case with Pin-Up Stars
which also means that is has a lower price. In the case of Pin-Up
Stars there is a lot of stylistic research, especially in terms of special
workmanship, and it naturally has a higher price that the other two
lines. We are convinced that if one want to completely create a nice
collection in Italy that there are still very capable artisans who could
almost be defined as artists, people who take their work to heart. In
this way we are able to come up with creations that simply would
not be possible to have made in countries with low labor costs. At
the most, all these countries can manage to do is copy products
which have been authentically made in Italy, but not invent, develop
and create. In Italy they still make products and collections that are
unthinkable elsewhere. From the very beginning this has been the
mood of our project which began with Pin-Up Stars. A great deal of
painstaking research goes into all of our collections, carried out by a
virtuoso design staff, the real champions of products still made in Italy,
capable of coming up with products imbued with an enormous amount
of creativity and flair, staying at least three steps ahead of those who
churn out repetitive lines, only concerned with considerations of price.
Fabrizio Di Meo (AFS International)
When it comes to the partnerships and strategies involving stores, AFS
has always pitched in to help decorate the windows of its customers,
also sponsoring ad posters in the surrounding area.
Matteo Angeli (Bonitalola/Linea Mare Blu)
Our particular strategies are focused on devoting greater attention to
post-sales service and customer feedback by means of a questionnaire
regarding the benefits and defects of the product. In the case of the
most important customers we participate with them on advertising
campaigns in the local territory and fashion shows held in the shops.
Lucia Branduardi (Kedua)
Our strategies include establishing the best relationship possibe with
the customers, offering products that are easy to show and sell, in
other words modern, no-frill items that are top quality, completely made
in Italy, offering a perfect fit for at least 70-80% of the women (and
this means differentiated cup sizes) and, naturally, a very affordable
price range with the possibility for a decent markup on the part of
the merchant. The stores that bought our first collection last year are
buying 30-50% more this year and we find that extremely gratifying.
Paolo Cinelli (Lisca/Studio 50)
When it comes to the Lisca and Cheek collections in Italia we have
focused on the development of new distribution modalities. As a
matter of fact, we happen to be structured in such a way that the
shipments are made directly from the Slovenian plant; this is done in
order to maximize restocking times to the maximum, enabling us to
deliver within just three working days from when an order has been
placed, considering that the continuative models constitute our core
business, the aspect that most interests our customers. We have set
up around a dozen important partnership relationships with major
specialty shops, primarily when it comes to the sales of differentiated
cups where we operate with flagship stores and dedicated corners.
With these customers we have established direct relationships
involving special discounts during certain sale periods, including
the fashion-oriented seasonal collections. For our part we supply
a number of sales props. In addition to classic posters we provide
special hangers, busts and, most importantly, free gift items for the
shoppers which are updated each season and are greatly appreciated
by the women who come into the stores. We have realized that
the shoppers very much like receiving these little demonstrations
of appreciation and this considerably boosts the retail sales of our
products. At the same time, we also provide information that helps
women to determine the size for their tops. With this end in mind,
we have created a special poster which we recommend hanging in
the store dressing rooms so that women when trying on a coordinate
item can better understand the techniques for learning their perfect
size. By the way, statistics indicate that over 70% of women don’t
really know the correct size of their bras and swimsuit tops. The
added value of the Lisca and Cheek collections is precisely this
considerable range of sizes and cup options and our customer stores
have in many cases had to be given a training course in order to be
able to actually know, recommend and consequently effectively sell
the larger sizes which are increasingly determining the success of
many retail outlets which have had to foresight and wisdom to react
proactively to the advent of the ubiquitous chain operations. The best
selling cup sizes, of course, are Italian C, D and E, but with Lisca we
offer the possibility of going all the way up to size G and this, in addition
to turning out to be indispensable for the stores, has given us a
chance to pull ahead and in just a few year’s time establish ourselves
as a point of reference in the Italian intimate apparel marketplace.
Luca Bazoni (CSP International Fashion Group)
In the last few years the relationship between customer and manufacturer
has necessarily changed due to the difficulties of the market
which have led these two main players to work more closely together.
Frequently, the customer tends to regard the manufacturer as the sole
reliable interlocutor capable of providing genuine, tangible assistance,
while the manufactures are increasingly feeling the necessity to be
conspicuously represented inside the store in a comprehensive manner
distinguished by an ongoing relationship. As CSP, since a long
time ago we have formed close-working collaborative relationships
with certain selected customers in order to generate higher sales
and greater profitability within the retail context, beginning, first and
foremost, with product selections featuring a greater qualitative mix
rather than merely higher quantities in terms of volumes. The sales
analyses that are transmitted to us by partner customers enable us to
closely monitor retail sales with an eye to improving future selections,
but the real challenge will be making the best use of this information in
order to better understand the situations of the various partner stores
and be able to implement effective marketing initiatives targeting the
retail shopper. At the same time, in order to be ever more competitive,
the stores will have to try and become increasingly attractive in terms
of how they display products and, with the help of the manufacturers,
try to make sure that their unique skills are appreciated by the
shoppers as well as the value of a global assortment of products, a
strategy which should set them apart from the general leveling effect
one is currently witnessing due to the effect of the large single-brand
chain operations.
Graziano Brutto (Justmine)
Ours is a craft-based product entirely made within our own facilities,
part of an exclusively Italian manufacturing chain, thereby preserving
and safeguarding the local know-how and labor force which has always
specialized in the production of fine swimwear. All of our models are
distinguished by outstanding fit, excellent value for the money, the