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The two names were not chosen by chance: Pal Zileri, the formal menswear brand, was inspired by Palazzo Zileri in Vicenza, symbol of a close connection with the territory where the manufacturing was located, in Quinto Vicentino; Forall Confezioni SpA, the manufacture, in fact, had in itself the desire to bring the made in Italy beauty “for all”, for everyone, to the world. The history of this reality, born in 1980, has known important successes, also abroad and particularly in the Middle East, to then experience a long crisis: in 2014, two years after taking over Valentino, the national fund of Qatar Mayhoola for Investment , detects only the brand, and then also buys the site where it is produced. The plans are ambitious, and the focus is on a relaunch in the name of the top range. But the difficulties continue, aggravated by the advent of the pandemic. And the decision, expressed in 2021 at the opening of the crisis table at the Mise, is to sell the Quinto Vicentino manufacturing, with serious repercussions on the territory (Forall is an important employment reality in a town of 5,700 inhabitants).
A year later, however, this course takes an unexpected turn: Nicola Favaretto, an entrepreneur in the area with his J6 clothing brand, proposes to take over Forall, leading a consortium together with other colleagues, namely Claudia Giacomelli and Luca Trevisiol. And on 30 June, the awaited announcement: Manifattura Veneta, this is the name of the new company, not only takes over the Quinto Vicentino site, but with the intention of renovating it with major investments in space, machinery and training of about 70 people. Within those over 4,000 square meters the production will take place – in every phase, from cutting to ironing – of canvas-lined outerwear, jackets and trousers for Pal Zileri – which remains, at least for now, the property of Mayhoola – and other brands of the sector.
«My interest and emotion for this project arose after a visit to the plant in June a year ago – explains Nicola Favaretto, now CEO of Manifattura Veneta -. The contact between us and Forall was favored by a former manager, Patrizia Mastromauro, with the support and through the Studio Savio & Partners of Vicenza. Patrizia, in fact, was looking for a company interested in evaluating the operation. And it is in this circumstance that we became passionate about the project. Of course, there were then ups and downs in the negotiation with Forall, but thanks to the will of both parties we managed to continue until we reached an agreement. Great efforts were made on both sides and great support also came from the trade unions and the Veneto Region, which facilitated talks and negotiations. Today I feel like saying that the epilogue has been satisfactory for all the parties involved».
Now, however, Forall’s new future begins. The challenge is to relaunch production, keeping its quality high: «We are working on a production reorganization aimed at keeping quality intact, Forall’s flagship, while trying at the same time to create greater flexibility and mobility of personnel within of the plant – continues the entrepreneur -. We want to make the most of the precious human capital we have and to do this we have planned and already started a training phase. We are focused on maintaining the skills, and we are committed to implementing them through the training courses we are already running, which we will also continue in the future and with the help of temporary external consultants or not. The primary aim is to become a reference platform for high-end clothing, both for men and women, for today’s and tomorrow’s formal wear. Very few companies can count on a very high-profile team and a vertical structure like ours, which ranges from the ability to design, to cutting, packaging and ironing. All managed internally and by highly qualified personnel with ten or twenty years of experience, in many cases».
In terms of personnel, the 70 resources previously employed in Forall have been transferred to the new plant. A number that is expected to expand in the near future: «We count on being able to do so as early as the second half of 2024, even if our strategy is not to go in search of greater volumes, but rather of excellence. Therefore, even the expansion of the staff will be accompanied by training and preparation. We hope to be able to bring young people with the desire to learn this trade, which has been little valued in recent decades, closer to this wonderful sector. While I believe that in the future we will return to consider it a high-value profession».