Intimo più mare n° 210 - Gennaio 2018

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
travels, short or long, real or virtual trips as they may be.
“I was thinking of women like me who are demanding in
terms of quality,” explained Mila. “I’m not a brand. I just
want to share a dream, a passion for what is beautiful, like all
the people who come to visit Italy.”
Strictly hand-designed prints, silks and other fabrics selected
from the personal archives, classic models but with a
special twist, products created in Italian workshops and
ateliers, items that embody the work and devotion of skills
passed down from one generation to the next. The inspiration
is simply everything that manages to move and strike a
profound chord with Mila Zegna Baruffa. Indeed, each and
every collection can be traced back to a memory, a cherished
object that was particularly important in the life of Mila. The
leitmotif is her passion for nature and travel, the colors and
fragrances of her favorite gardens, the sea, art and architecture,
but above all the joy of someone capable of experiencing
a perennial springtime. As a companion Mila brings
along with her on her travels an average, everyday woman
who wants to feel special, and it’s to this woman that she has
dedicated a wardrobe for happy moments.
“I grew up in a culture in which one is expected to strive in
order to constantly do better,” explained Mila. “Without ever
taking anything for granted. In this way, wearing a big smile,
I learn something every single day.”
TOOLS (on page 178)
A FUNDAMENTAL ACCESSORY
Just a few centimeters of fabric give no idea of all the incredible
engineering that goes into a bra. A perfect one improves
a woman’s posture, enabling her to feel better. It’s essential,
though, to find the right size and that’s where the bra fitters
come into the picture
Incredible as it may seem, a bra may be composed of some
thirty different parts, if we also count the hooks, rings and
underwiring. The creation of a bra, from the painstaking design
process to the complete fabrication, may take up to six
months. In other words, even the simplest model as light as
a feather is still a work of engineering. It’s no wonder, then,
that finding the perfect bra can be an extremely difficult
undertaking. Just figuring out the right size requires the assistance
of experts, capable of complicated calculations, an
operation that must be precise down the centimeter (breast
and underbreast) and letter (for the cups). In the United
States the profession of bra fitter, i.e. and expert on bras,
capable of deciphering the cup-circumference equation,
has been around for a number of years and by now there are
even schools for training and certifying these professionals,
complete with an authoritative diploma which is granted
upon successful completion of the requisite course work and
exams. In France and the United Kingdom almost all the
local bra brands include collections featuring differentiated
cups and some even boast a practically infinite range of sizes.
In Italy, thanks to the arrival of foreign brands, it’s becoming
increasingly indispensable for stores to be able to offer professional
bra fitting services. Many companies are making
arrangements in order to be able to offer courses right in
their customers’ stores, but there are also those who prefer
to study on their own, training themselves, so to speak.
THE ITALIAN WAY
Francesca Bortoluzzi opened her first Red Velvet boutique
in Vicenza in 2012, drawing on her own personal experience
in the field. Requiring a G-size cup, Francesca found it difficult
to find bras in her size.
"I have been active in this sector for five years, but my experience
actually began with my personal quest for a bra that
would fit perfectly,” she explained. “I always wanted to work
in the intimate apparel sector. I studied languages and went
on to work in the tourist industry, but when I felt I was ready
embarked upon this adventure with my husband, Gabriele
Caoduro."
Francesca’s husband had had his own personal business for
twelve years and was happy to help her in the management
end of things, drawing on his own entrepreneurial experience.
"The Red Velvet boutique, with its collections of bras featuring
differentiated cups, was the result of by research
and quest for the perfect bra (especially in terms of size),”
explained Francesca. “Beyond the actual brick-and-mortar
shop, from the very beginning my idea was to also open a virtual
operation, but with the same characteristics: an online
Italian store specializing in bras with differentiated cups.”
Francesca began by studying books and manuals on her own,
honing her skills in the area of sizes.
"Then I discovered the existence of an academy in the United
States which would be able to issue me an official certificate
as a bra fitter,” she went on. So I enrolled in the program of
courses at the Fab Fit Academy, established by Ali Cudby,
the most famous bra fitter who also happens to have written
the books which have come to be considered the Bible of bra
fitting, books I had already read.”
Once she had been certified, Francesca figured that if it was
possible to explain to customers how to find the right size, it
must also be possible to set up an Italian site.
"I personally selected the brands to be carried in the store
and on the Internet site,” explained Francesca. “For the most
part they are Polish brands, new names that are fairly hard
to find in Italy. I went on to enhance the selection of Polish
brands by also including other names like Elomi, Freya,
Fantasie and Anita. The Polish brands were my first choice
because when I went to one of my very first fairs in Paris I
was very impressed by their approach to sizing, bra fitting,
the construction of bras and guaranteeing good value for
the money. From the very beginning I focused my quest on
quality collection, but at affordable prices, items produced in
Europe rather than China. My collections also boast a great
deal of fashion content. My selection of intimate apparel is
quite special, a bit different from the French and English
style, but the models featured were an immediate hit with
the customers of the store and the site.
My relationship with Poland is nothing less than a case
of love at first sight. I go there as often as I can. From the
very beginning I asked if I could take in-house courses with
their designers in order to better understand their choices in
terms of sizes and construction techniques, as well as provide
suggestions and helpful tips regarding Italian fit issues.
Today I can confidently say that the collections are the result
of a combination of shared knowledge and know-how (theirs
and mine). For both parties this collaboration has proven to
be very worthwhile and useful, not least of all on the operational
level. My choice to go with the Polish manufacturers
was further reinforced by a certain initial diffidence on the
part of the French brands, many of whom simply said “no”
to me. Many of them snubbed my idea of a specialized site.
But, as it turned out, my plan bore bounteous fruit; we are
constantly growing (this year alone we are already up fully
50%) and now those who snubbed me in the beginning are
lining up to make appointments.”
What are the characteristics of the Red Velvet site?
"We do our utmost to offer a service that is as customized
as possible,” explained Francesca. “One of our main strong