The year 2025 opens with declining number of slaughterings in the EU. The sector started the new year with negative signs overall. As ILM reports, according to the latest data, total cattles processed decreased by 2.8% compared to the previous year, with obvious declines especially in the young cattle (calves) segment. The relative stability of […]
Gucci’s never-ending fall (dragging Kering down with it). In the first quarter of 2025, Gucci plunges again: -25% in revenue (on a comparable basis). Well below analysts’ expectations, which had forecasted a -19% drop. This result follows the -24% recorded by the brand in the fourth quarter of 2024. In the first three months of […]
A possible summary of the latest episode of BoF’s “The Debrief” podcast. A lifesaver, a handhold, a refuge. Because luxury’s financial stand – again and again – on the shoulders of it-bags. And in fact, “The Power of a Luxury Handbag”, as the episode is called, starts with the iconic Birkin by Hermès and arrives...
Pope Francis and leather. An enduring, but often revolutionary relationship, starting with the color of his shoes: no more the red preferred by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI. The assumed goal was to communicate simplicity and humility, in line with his mission: a more inclusive Catholicism. And then there was that time he received the […]
At the rate of one leather goods’ plant per year, the unstoppable Hermès is announcing a new production site in Colombelles (population less than 6,000), near Caen, in the Calvados area of Normandy. It will be ready in 2028 and employ 260 people. Despite the luxury slowdown, the French fashion house continues to increase production...
Donald Trump’s trade war is sparking symmetrical and opposite reactions around the world. Remarkably, the Ethiopian government says it’s happy about the U.S. tariffs: by hindering trade routes from other countries (China first and foremost), it gives a chance for growth for the Horn of Africa state’s exports. Conversely, the government of Kazakhstan is lowering...
Thanks to seal skins, the history of the Middle Ages is being updated, as this period has always been seen as predominantly characterized by the use of local resources. Conversely, the discovery in some European abbeys of manuscripts bound with sealskins from Viking lands, is evidence of unsuspected trade between northern Europe and religious centers. […]
Södra, the largest forest owners’ association in Sweden, is investing to enter the tanning industry market, with the goal of industrially produce tannins from tree bark at its Värö plant. And the association is looking for partners to develop possible applications for the new product. Industrializing the process The use of tree bark for the […]
The value of time and the excellence of craftsmanship. The ability to be “Forever Young”, creating materials, accessories, solutions not only of the highest quality, but capable – above all – of winning a fundamental challenge. The “supergreen one” of durability. It is with these assumptions in mind that, on May 13 and 14, Lineapelle lands […]
Hermès stands out in its response to duties as well. The French brand has been quick to dismiss the issue. It remains impassive and announces that it will raise prices by the same percentage as the duty. LVMH will not increase prices, but may shift production to the US. Bernard Arnault would blame Brussels (and...
There is writing on an exterior wall of Presot, a tannery in Porcia, Pordenone province. “To walk is not a verb. It’s everything we have learned and passed on to our children. It’s the direction we give to our dreams in this land we want to know and respect. For us, life is a journey […]
“The present, with all its complexity and dynamism, can only be tackled through a deep understanding of the past”. With these words, Laura Dalla Vecchia, President of Confindustria Vicenza, introduced Antichi per Sempre (Forever Ancient), the volume celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Vicenza Tanning Section of the regional business association. Presented last Wednesday (16 […]
Challenging the market through technology. Digital warehouse mapping, logistics automation, RFID identification, and artificial intelligence in the creative process are everyday tools for Space 2000. Based in Baldissero Canavese (Turin), the company owns and distributes Bomboogie, a brand specialising in outerwear. The label accounts for 70% of Space 2000’s turnover (EUR 33 million in the...
Salone del Mobile 2025 closes with a record number of international attendees (68%) and consolidates its visitor count at 302,548 – a figure in line with the 2023 edition, the last to host the Euroluce biennale. The Milanese fair, with its surrounding events and initiatives that quite literally take over the city, confirms its role […]
“Thinking outside the box” and “challenging one’s own beliefs” to explore a new sense of creative freedom – this is the invitation extended by the Lineapelle Fashion Committee for the Autumn-Winter 2026/27 season, which carries the title “Just Before”. A “philosophy of waiting”, as they describe it, was thoroughly unpacked during the trend and colour...
A new vertical integration within the leather supply chain. Gruppo Vecchia Toscana (Fucecchio, Florence) has taken over the management of Manifattura Toscana Pellami (Ponte a Egola, San Miniato), a company specialising in the production of split hides and heavy-weight bovine leather for belts, leather goods, and furnishings. “We found this company very interesting for our...
We expected better, and, undoubtedly, given the premises, it could have been better. The market and analysts were disappointed with LVMH’s performance in the first quarter 2025. The world’s largest luxury group ended the first three months with sales of 20.3 billion euro, equivalent to an overall decline of 3% – at constant scope and […]
The 90-day truce (with duties leveled at 10% for all but China) eases tensions a bit, but the leather and leather product supply chain remains on edge. First, because the trade war will inevitably have consequences for business in and with North America. And, second, because we can already see the warning signs of a...
Small, independent, and happy. Roberto Mantellassi has chosen his own path to turn a passion for leather into a profession. He is a leather craftsman who has decided to specialise in the production of bracelets and keyrings. For over 25 years, he has nurtured and safeguarded the uniqueness of a crisis-proof business. A market niche...
“To promote the cultural and qualitative value of Italian embroidery both in Italy and worldwide”. This is the mission of Assoricamatori, the newly established association officially presented on Tuesday, 15 April, on the occasion of the National Made in Italy Day. The date was deliberately chosen with the precise aim of “promoting a manufacturing sector […]
