A 2 million-bond to grow, issued by Turin-based Foglizzo Leather, which will use the sum to build a new production site in Piedmont. Production capacity: 1 million square meters of leather. “Foglizzo is entering a very important new phase, involving organizational, production and strategic adjustments”, say Paolo and Marco Foglizzo co-CEOs of Foglizzo Leather. The […]
Conceria Pasubio has completed two acquisitions in Tuscany, acquiring 100% of both Conceria Antiba and SK!N. The Veneto-based group, which has been owned by French private equity firm PAI Partners since 2021, finalised the deals on 17 April and this past February, respectively. According to BeBeez, which broke the news, the acquisition of Conceria Antiba […]
The crocodile tears of the Oost Gelre municipal council (Netherlands) are rather amusing. First, it evicts Vitelco Leather from its Lichtenvoorde site after a lengthy legal dispute. Then, upon learning that the leather group has no intention of reinvesting in the area, it reacts with surprise: “Really? But what about the workers?” Oost Gelre council […]
Working to have leather excluded from the Annex I of the EUDR is the stated goal of national and international tanning associations such as UNIC and Cotance. Now the entire supply chain can do its part to achieve the goal: up until May 13, the European Commission is holding public consultation on the proposed amendment […]
Prada outperformed its competitors in the first quarter of 2024, largely thanks to its leather goods. And yet, the company’s shares are underperforming. In 2024, they had risen by 35% compared to the luxury sector’s average of just +4%. But by early 2025, they had dropped by 24%, while the sector average fell by only...
LVMH is implementing lay-offs. VF Corp is doing the same. Lanvin Group increasing losses. Luxury stocks are being downgraded by analysts, as in the case of Moncler. After Gucci-Kering, LVMH is also facing headwinds that are limiting its growth. The present time of luxury is (very) turbulent. Moncler downgraded HSBC downgraded Moncler from “buy” to...
Thumbs up to leather, but not to politics. Associations representing the Italian fashion industry, while at Luxury Summit 2025, sharply criticized politics, which was absent in the market, just as it was on stage at the event organized by Il Sole 24 Ore. Instead, Chiara Mastrotto, CEO of Gruppo Mastrotto, communicated the virtuosity of leather...
“You need to be patient. Even with objects”. The story of Oscarmaschera is one steeped in a passion for leather, craftsmanship, and taking things slowly. This is a women-run company that produces everything from belts for luxury labels to home accessories, all distinguished by the use of vegetable-tanned leather. The brand, based in Cartoceto in...
In the post-pandemic years, the phenomenon of luxury handbags as safe-haven assets appeared to be a sign of strength for the luxury market. It was mentioned every time a rare Hermès bag fetched an increasingly exorbitant price at auction, or when private collections of leather goods became collateral to present at the bank. The perceived […]
Independence runs in the family. At a time when acquisitions and supply-chain mergers are the norm, the strength of family-run businesses continues to surprise. Thanks to the solidity and drive brought by generational transition, Conceria Enterprise (based in Santa Croce sull’Arno) has successfully celebrated its first forty years of business. The company, founded in 1985...
Just what we were missing—Jurassic Bags. The T-Rex may soon be resurrected in the most unlikely form: that of luxury handbags. Thanks to a collaboration between VML, The Organoid Company (a leader in genomic engineering), and Lab-Grown Leather, bioengineered leather from the ancient king of the Cretaceous period could soon enter production. Could it work? […]
“Luxury keeps us up to date with fashion trends. And it did us a favour by raising prices”, says Elena Iachini, who, along with her sister Marcella (head of administration), runs the footwear manufacturer Strategia, based in Civitanova Marche (Macerata). The company competes by focusing on style, product offering, and the value it provides. The...
There are signs of life in manufacturing. France and Spain are making moves. It’s not just Hermès building new leather goods facilities. In Sainte-Savine (around two hours from Paris), Maison Jean Rousseau is constructing a new building to increase production capacity. Meanwhile, Spain is seeing a notable rise in employment in the footwear and leather […]
In the first quarter of 2023 Gucci billed 2.62 billion. In the same period of 2025 it billed 1.57 billion. It means that more than 1 billion has disappeared from Gucci’s quarterly turnover. A value that has an even more serious specific weight for the production chain, considering that, in the meantime, product prices have...
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...
