The presidency of the Consorzio Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata al Vegetale has changed. Massimo Boldrini will lead it for the 2025-2027 term. He will be supported by vice presidents Paolo Testi and Manuel Casella. Boldrini (pictured), unanimously appointed by the Board of Directors, takes over from Leonardo Volpi, who “has led the Consortium with great […]
There aren’t many shortcuts when telling the story of football. It’s a sport that thrives on shared traditions and imagery. Shoes, since early time, are main characters. When one thinks of a football shoe, it’s almost inevitable to imagine it made with leather. It’s a collective memory, and in fact the Veja brand, with its...
A few months ago we were talking about it as a “flop“: but it’s much worse. Some speculated that the introduction of sanctions and the exit of big Western brands from the local market would be the basis for the revival of the Russian fashion industry. Instead, Russian autarky has been a total debacle: shoe...
Luxury struggles. Those expecting a recovery will have to think again, at least for now, because the scenario has become even more complicated. Consumer confidence in the US has weakened, while there is a slight improvement in China. Result? Bank of America has lowered its forecasts for luxury revenue growth in the first quarter 2025...
Obuv’s evaluation is negative. Despite expectations leading up to the event, the final days of the Moscow trade fair (18-21 March 2025) followed a downward trajectory, diminishing the overall assessment of the exhibition. Obuv spans over 1,500 square metres, hosting 79 companies, 57 of which are Italian. Attendees unanimously agree that winter 2024-2025 sales in...
There can be no talk of a truce, but maybe of a cool down. The trade war hasn’t impacted China, which has dodged the first blow, but it may in the future, as it anxiously awaits more news in the coming months. And the situation isn’t quite appreciated in the Old World either. Brussels announced...
Uzbekistan is introducing duties on leather exports. Last March 14, 2025, the Uzbek government adopted the Presidential Decree “On Measures to Improve Product Export Procedures and Stimulate the Production of Finished Products with Added Value”. Hence, starting in July, Uzbekistan will impose export duties on a range of goods including meat products, raw hides and […]
We have been reading about VW group’s difficulties since late summer 2024, and we have already had the chance to point out how it was a sign of short-sightedness to take it out on leather when the market challenges were (clearly) others. Recent press statements show how the German holding company is preparing a tear-and-blood […]
“We don’t get discouraged; we take another path”. This phrase by Manuel Giaconia perfectly encapsulates the story of the belt-making company Alta Moda Belt. It will also prove useful in the future, given the potential impact of Trump-era tariffs. The USA, in fact, represents a highly promising market for the company, which was founded in...
Russian market on standby. The Obuv Mir Kozhi fair (18-21 March) is currently underway in Moscow, featuring around a hundred brands, mainly in footwear and leather goods. Attendees report that the general decline in fashion consumption has also affected Russia. This decline is exacerbated by a combination of factors, including a rather mild winter season....
Chanel has acquired a majority stake in Grey Mer, a footwear company based in San Mauro Pascoli (Forlì-Cesena) and managed by the Alessandri sisters. Perla serves as CEO, Margherita oversees production, and Antonia handles communications. Grey Mer has been a manufacturing partner of the French luxury house for over a decade. “Faced with the need […]
Last Friday, 14 March, Kering lost around USD 3 billion on the stock market. The market considers Gvasalia’s appointment too risky. Yet Demna is the designer who took Balenciaga from less than USD 400 million in revenue to over USD 2.3 billion. A boom made possible by intuitions such as the Triple S trainers and...
Balenciaga joins the group of brands that have raised prices, according to Citi’s Luxury Pricing Tracker, which monitors price changes by looking at 18 major brands and 6 geographical areas. In other words: Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. The group of countries accounts for about 80%...
The BC Duo Bag brings together two identities in one. Created by the Cucinelli sisters, Camilla and Carolina—daughters of the brand’s founder—this new accessory combines minimalist design with Brunello Cucinelli’s timeless aesthetic. Available in four sizes, the bag features stitching crafted using special artisanal techniques to create a sense of three-dimensionality and mirrored cuts, precisely […]
In 2013, Pietro Cacciavillani founded Vladì Shoes with a singular goal: to create a niche shoe that was not dictated by the demands of large-scale production. After running a shoe factory for years—eventually closing due to the rise of Chinese competition—he and his wife established a shoe workshop inspired by 18th-century Venice. The result? Leather...
“Sustainability? Big brands must lead the way”, says Andrea Orsella, business development manager of Mondeox, a company based in Casella d’Asolo (Treviso) and founded in 1993 by the Florian family. In 2003 the company, which specializes in the production of shoes for its own brand and for third parties in the outdoor and accident segment,...
On 13 March, Kering announced that Demna Gvasalia will be Gucci’s next creative director. The designer, who currently holds the same position at Balenciaga, will leave in July to take the reins at the Florentine fashion house. You know that emoji with wide eyes, an open mouth, and hands on the face that we all […]
After years of animal rights and vegan-led anti-fur campaigns, many have declared it dead. Yet the truth emerging from the catwalks is that fur remains very much alive. Certainly, many brands retreat into the (more affordable) comfort zone of synthetic imitations. Others, to avoid alienating certain sections of the public, opt for hair-on hides such […]
APLF closes its 2025 edition without dispelling all market doubts (but, perhaps, that was too much to ask). Around the booths at the Hong Kong fair (March 12-14), there were plenty of buyers and visitor traffic, especially on the first two days. But as far as sales’ feedback, as we said yesterday, time is needed...
The value of time, not that of duties. Creating a Pellettieri di Parma shoe requires more than 180 steps and a 21-day production process—from cutting the upper to the final inspection—with an eight-day fitting period. “But conveying all this and helping consumers understand it is not easy”, says Giuseppe Zenoni (pictured), CEO of the brand,...
