The pandemic prevented inaugurations, toasts and ribbon cuts. But the new Furla bag manufactory in the industrial area of Sambuca (in the municipality of Barberino-Tavarnelle), in the middle of the Florentine Chianti hills, did not need events to get noticed: three buildings destined to offices, production and logistics of raw materials cover more than 18 thousand square meters on an area of 43 thousand, marking the embrace between design, innovation and environmental sustainability. The buildings designed by the Geza studio in Udine have different heights to integrate with the territory, patios and green roofs to cancel the boundary between the internal and external environment, photovoltaic and thermal solar panels, LED lights, paintings that reduce pollutants, rainwater to be reused to irrigate the garden. The entrance is marked by a row of cypresses.
30 million investment
Furla, the historic premium leather goods brand, has invested 30 million euros to build this new industrial center that it has called Progetto Italia: a way to emphasize the tricolor craftsmanship, but also to relaunch the made in Italy productions much appreciated in Asia-Pacific and Japan, markets that for the Bolognese brand are worth more than 60% of turnover. With this in mind, taking root in the world‘s leading bag design and production district – the one around Florence where all the major international brands have set foot or built factories – represents a strategic move. Progetto Italia takes the place of Effeuno, a subcontractor leather shop located a short distance away, acquired 100% by Furla in 2017 and recently merged by incorporation into the group: the 130 employees who worked there moved to the new headquarters, awaiting hiring as soon as the market will restart.
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Passing of the baton
«Progetto Italia has the ambition to be more than a pure factory», explains Mauro Sabatini, CEO of Furla since last January after having been founder and guide of the acquired Effeuno. His knowledge of the supply chain and international markets has pushed Giovanna Furlanetto, who controls 77% of the group (33% belongs to other branches of the family), to entrust him with the responsibility of management. “This new” home “will be a laboratory – continues Sabatini – in which design, planning, concept, craftsmanship are contaminated: a place that enhances creative and productive skills, and which can be even more useful in the post-Covid phase”. Here the style of all the collections will be transferred (from Milan), explains the CEO. And here the employees will be trained thanks to a company Academy, an internal school to attract young people from the area to whom a wing of the plant is already reserved.
The balance of the annus horribilis of fashion
The thrust that is now expected is that of the market. 2020 was a difficult year for Furla, with turnover down by about 40% compared to 502 million euros in 2019 (over 80% abroad) due to the strong weight of retail overwhelmed by Covid (today the brand has 482 stores worldwide, 42 of which are travel retail). Direct e-commerce shone with a 36% growth on the previous year. 2021 will be a year of transition which is however showing signs of vitality (“in the first quarter we are + 6% on the budget”, says the CEO), above all in China where growth is double-digit and revenues are approaching pre-Covid levels (Asia-Pacific absorbed 27.1% last year).
Strategic markets
“In the future, the weight will shift more and more to Asia – underlines Sabatini – because after the pandemic the Chinese will not return to travel and buy abroad as before: both due to the pressure of the Government towards purchases at home, and for the exchange of habits that has been generated “. In the US, on the other hand, which last year weighed 4.5%, Furla has closed four stores in recent months using the Chapter 11 procedure and is now preparing to relaunch with the opening of a boutique in Vancouver, Canada, by the end of the year. The group’s goal is to get back to pre-Covid levels as quickly as possible.