Family-run, rooted in their territories and steeped in culture — yet by no means confined within limits that would restrict their capacity to grow. On the contrary, they are open to innovation and continuous renewal, all in pursuit of the same goal: excellence. Leonardo Russo of Russo di Casandrino and Maria Giovanna Paone of Kiton outlined at Bocconi the journeys of two companies which, proud expressions of Made in Naples, also stand at the forefront of Made in Italy. They spoke to the audience at the talk “From Naples to the World”, organised on 27 April by the Luxury Bocconi Student Society (LBSS) and the INSUD association.
From Naples to the world
“Made in Naples is now synonymous with excellence, but in 1968, when my father Ciro Paone started out, it was not”, said Maria Giovanna, the company’s Chair and Co-CEO. Since then, the business has come a long way: in 1991, a new headquarters enabled expansion into shirts, ties and footwear, while later acquisitions of outerwear and knitwear ateliers in Emilia-Romagna strengthened control over textile supplies.
“We boast 90% in-house production”, Paone continued, “which we distribute through 64 directly operated stores worldwide, alongside a highly valuable wholesale network”. Kiton is a Neapolitan brand yet also an international one, she was keen to stress: “In keeping with the openness first introduced by my father — who trained in fabric shops and Neapolitan tailoring — he chose to give the brand a name that was not his own”.
The quality of dialogue
A similar mindset characterises Russo di Casandrino, so closely tied to its territory that it carries the name of its town. Yet its success stems from its ability to engage with leading international luxury houses. “The pillars of growth for the tannery founded in 1962 by my father Giovanni and his brother Gennaro are three”, explained Leonardo Russo. “A commitment to sustainability, essential for a sector that is already inherently circular; the careful selection of clients, anticipating shifts in the fashion market; and a near-bespoke exchange with customers, whose expectations for both product and service quality are extremely high”.
Ready for innovation
If there is a risk that some may view family businesses as structurally closed or less responsive to change, Paone and Russo made it clear to Bocconi students that this is not the case. “A company that does not invest is a company that is dead,” Russo concluded. “Leather production remains manual and cannot be standardised, as the raw material does not allow it. However, we are attentive to every possible front of innovation: management systems and business intelligence, the integration of artificial intelligence where feasible, research and development of new products and processes, and the managerial evolution of the company.”
“The drive towards innovation is constant,” Paone echoed. “Our focus is on quality, which remains handcrafted. But we have modernised areas such as market analysis, which are now sophisticated in ways that would have been unthinkable until recently.” Independence remains a value to be nurtured: “With a financial partner we might move faster on certain initiatives—such as retail expansion—where instead we proceed more cautiously,” concluded Kiton’s Co-CEO. “However, we prefer gradual and sustainable growth that allows us to retain control over both product and distribution.”
Photo: a moment from the event
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