6 minute read
Passion and Love Unites Us
Lardini
The Lardini family, which hails from the tranquil municipality of Filottrano, has demonstrated that it is possible to take advantage of opportunities in times of crisis. A modern interpretation of traditional tailoring and tangible intrinsic value are but two of the most obvious virtues of the brand. style in progress sat down with Luigi Lardini, the creative director, to talk about the emergence of the family business. Text: Martina Müllner-Seybold. Photos: Lardini
Yes, one can describe Lardini as the epitome of traditional sartorial artistry. The brand is based on decades of tailoring experience, local knowledge, and the sheer determination to uphold the promise of quality that the Italian manufacturing industry implies. The combination of these values has ensured that Lardini has come a long way. As a result, the company is one of the most important clothing manufacturers on the Italian and international markets. Based in Filottrano, Lardini is perceived as the custodian of manufacturing skills upheld by very few businesses. Filottrano, an enchanting medieval town in the Ancona area, is not only a spectacular corporate setting, but - as Luigi Lardini puts it - “also nourishes Lardini’s very soul”. Today, 2,000 garments are produced in Filottrano before being sent out to international markets via a constantly expanding distribution chain that currently relies on 550 sales outlets in carefully selected multi-brand stores and retail areas in the best department stores - not only in Europe, but also in Japan, Korea, Russia, China, and the US. In 2014, Lardini opened a new showroom in a prestigious historical building in Via Manzoni in Milan’s so-called “Golden Triangle”. In 2016, the premises were extended by a further 300 square metres. This wasn’t the only expansion project of 2016. Lardini also improved the technological setup of its production plant in Filottrano and almost doubled its surface area. Naturally, the company ensured it didn’t jeopardise its sustainability standards or detract from the surrounding landscape. This was a strong statement in the midst of an unstable economic climate and an international crisis.
Luigi Lardini is the brand’s creative director. He built the business with his three siblings, Andrea, Lorena, and Annarita.
Out of Nowhere A glance into the corporate history books makes clear that the Lardini family has always been adept at taking advantage of opportunities. When Luigi Lardini launched his menswear collection at the tender age of eighteen, he was armed with little else than a passion for style and elegance. Intuitively sensing the potential of his choices, his brother Andrea, then 21, and his sister Lorena, then 19, followed suit. Their father provided financial backing during the start-up phase. In 1978, a tailoring workshop was opened and it soon attracted the attention of international fashion icons. Within a matter of years, the siblings expanded their list of customers, which soon included some distinguished international names. Business burgeoned and the Lardinis took on different roles, acting in different - yet complementing - capacities to foster corporate development. Andrea, with his degree in computer engineering, was predestined to take care of the technological aspects of the business, while Lorena took on the responsibility for administrative and financial management. A few years later, their younger sister, Annarita, also joined the family business and assumed responsibility for quality control. Motivated by their success and the desire to take advantage of new expansion possibilities, the Lardini family decided to
Lardini has significantly increased its production capacity in Filottrano near Ancona in order to meet the demand for the brand’s own collection and the items it manufactures under license.
take on a new endeavour and sought to forge a collection in its own name. In 1993, the first menswear collection by Lardini emerged from the workshops. Today, Lardini’s own-name collections are split into various lines. They may differ in style, but they all boast the same meticulous sartorial attention to detail. One example is Gabriele Pasini, a namesake collection created by the gifted designer who combines figure-hugging tailoring with classic British aesthetics and its inherent rebellious streak. + Lardini is the result of creative collaborations with a string of internationally significant fashion pioneers. An essential collaboration in terms of style and visibility is the one with Nick Wooster. RVR Lardini, on the other hand, is a sustainable outerwear collection which is given a unique spin by the concept of reversibility. The letters RVR stand for “reversible”. Last but not least, there is the Lardini womenswear collection, which translates all the innovations of the menswear lines into feminine garments and is rapidly gaining a foothold in the market.
Why is Lardini experiencing growth while others are struggling?
What has always differentiated us from others is the careful research into small details. We constantly experiment with different materials, thereby adding real innovation to every item. However, all innovations are fully mature.
Do you think it helps that your business is family-owned? What is the advantage?
The strength of a family-owned business is the passion and love that unites us. We are fighting for something we believe in on a daily basis. We are dynamic, highly flexible, and always capable of reacting to the changes of the European and international markets. Today, there are no more rules and we have to get used to this new way of operating.
Is it hard to find suitable and sufficiently talented person nel to support your growth?
The most important thing is to have confidence in others and - above all - to have an excellent portfolio. Talent equals credibility.
It is no longer enough to merely have a good collec tion. What improvements did you make, especially in terms of the needs of your export markets?
Simply put, the main improvements pertained to service, quality, and price.
Will the womenswear collection follow in the footsteps of the menswear collection in terms of success?
We want to create a successful collection that is both very “human” and retains the DNA that distinguishes us from others. The womenswear collection boasts a strong “Made in Italy” character and will therefore be able to gain market shares. Its elegance is combined with quality, style, refined textiles, and femininity. Stylistically renewed and reinterpreted, it embodies a new flavour. We separate its distribution channels from those of the menswear collection. The womenswear collection will find an independent path and have its own identity.
After a long period of production migration, the luxury segment was the first to return home. What are the reasons for this?
Italy guarantees quality, but this also a promise backed up by credibility and a very special way of life. Wherever you are, this country gives you something different every day.
Does the Italian state or the EU support the fashion indus try in its attempts to regain its former strength?
Italy is Bel Paese, the most beautiful country in the world. It is also the country in which nobody helps you - neither the Italian state, nor the EU. There have never been synergies between the fashion industry and the state. We are following our path alone.
What is gnawing at the “Made in Italy” tag?
What is gnawing at it is the competition created by products that are manufactured in parts of the world where labour is underpaid. Over the years, the people have lost the culture of dressing well and give low priority to the acquired product. They prefer covering up to dressing up. Unfortunately, this defect has now also reached Italy. In the past, we were the world’s finest, but we are becoming increasingly global in a negative sense.
