Intimo più mare n° 208 - Luglio 2017

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
of the market with Oroblù, Luna di Seta and Perofil in order to
be in direct contact with men and women who are cosmopolitan,
dynamic and elegant.”
This operation also includes the Bikkembergs license, which
thanks to the work of the fashion house and the know-how of
CSP could most fully express their potential.
What sort of company overhaul was undertaken?
“In the closest possible synergy with the Bertoni family and
with the management of CSP, the human resources of Perofil
are in the new company to provide continuity,” continued
Monopoli. “Simone Ruffoni is the chief executive officer who
has been designated to head Perofil, formerly responsible
for the organization, human resources and systems at CSP,
working together with me for the management of marketing
and sales. Design, products and collection will be developed
in keeping with the identity and positioning of the brand. As
for the rest, we are listed on the stock market and we have
to respect the rules established for companies on the stock
exchange. Generating synergy means optimizing the organizations
and structures, and in order for this to be possible it’s
necessary to work together and know each other.”
Is it possible that there may be some overlapping between
some of the already existing CPS brands?
“Absolutely not,” Monopoli replied with no hesitation. “Quite
to the contrary, bringing together experiences accumulated in
the same sector can only lead to enhancing skills, while improving
diversification of distribution and segmentation of the
selection regarding the collections.”
PEOPLE (on page 262)
PROMISE
RIDING THE CREST OF THE WAVE
Thanks to a winning combination of style, quality and price,
this Catalan company is continuing on its path of unstoppable
growth, tallying up exceptional results, even in the Italian
market
More than a mere underwear and beachwear brand, Promise
is a successful entrepreneurial project, boasting solid roots in it
long family history. Looking out over the Mediterranean Sea,
just a few kilometers from Barcelona, this company designs
and manufacturers collections of women’s intimate apparel,
lingerie and beachwear, as well as a more recent line of underwear
and nightwear for the men. The women’s underwear
products by Promise are broken down into four lines: Luxury
Collection, featuring the most sophisticated, fashion-forward
items; The New Underwear Collection, a more youthful, easygoing
line; Bridal, the firm’s foundation garment items and the
lingerie designed for brides and for everyday wear, 365 days a
year, a selection of basic continuous items. Behind the success
of Promise one finds the figure of Sergi Flores, along with his
devoted wife, Roser Samon, the brand’s designer. These two
busy people found time to speak with us in order to talk about
the performance of the brand in Italy and the latest development
for the new season. Currently, Promise is available in
over 30 countries, including Spain, Italy, France, Portugal,
Belgium, Holland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Slovenia,
Greece, Ukrain, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria,
Mexico, South Korea and Japan; but for the time being the
most important markets in terms of total sales are Spain,
France, Italy, Portugal and Belgium.
“Our performance in the Italian marketplace has been very
positive,” explained Sergi Flores. “And we are proud to have
more than 1,100 retail outlets throughout the country, thanks
to a network of 18 sales reps that covers the entire length and
breadth of the boot. Our current strategy and on into the near
future is to beef up the brand’s presence in the multi-label
stores that do the best job of representing us, especially in
terms of brand visibility.”
At the present time the women’s collections of foundation garments,
lingerie and beachwear are being distributed in Italy.
“We conducted a series of initial trials in order to test how our
en’s collection would be received in the Italian market. But
for the time being when it comes to products we are concentrating
on the range of items intended for women, a selection
which happens to be quite extensive on its own.
The beachwear items, naturally, tend to be the main focus during
the summer months, but on the whole it’s the foundation
garments and lingerie which account for the lion’s share of our
annual sales.”
Promise regularly attends a number of different international
trade fairs. “We are represented directly at the big SIL event
and Mode City in Paris, CPM Moscow, Immagine Italia in
Florence, Moda Birmingham and LingeriePro in Antwerp,”
Sergi Flores enumerates, “while we participate at a number of
other fairs through our local distributors. We are very satisfied
by our results at the most recent edition of Immagine Italia, in
particular when it comes to the work we did with our Italian
customers.”
The Italian market poses some very specific and daunting
challenges when it comes to style; and this is why Promise
pays very close attention to the precious feedback it receives
from its sales network regarding matters taste and the special
requirements of savvy, demanding Italian women. “With
each and every collection we strive to introduce a number
of specific items specially designed for the Italian market in
terms of styling, texture and colors. Italian shoppers are more
interested in the quality of a product than anything else, especially
when it comes to fabrics and materials.
This explains, for example, the importance of the garments in
100% cotton featured in our nightwear collections. Just like
what one finds in the case of outerwear clothing, the Italian
intimate apparel market is always on the cutting edge, and this
forces us to be very alert to even the slightest trend changes,”
explained Roser Samon.
For the summer of 2018 Promise is showing a very rich and
varied collection. The beachwear portion has bolstered the
selection of one-piece swimsuits and bandeau bikinis – soft
or featuring underwiring – but is also introducing some younger
models, such as the soft tops made from bonded fabric in
order to ensure optimal support. Other new developments
include the introduction of the halter top, capable of providing
excellent fit without the necessity of underwiring, and
high-cut bottoms. Design inspiration has been drawn from
such far-flung places at Mumbai, Sardinia, Crete, Martinique,
Polynesia and Honolulu, not to mention the Seventies atmosphere
of the Coachella Festival.
The underwear featured in The New Underwear Experience
collection has been revamped in terms of the design, the prints
and the materials in order to convey a sense of freshness and
comfort, without, however, compromising when it comes to