A collection of innovative denimwear, curated by jeans guru Adriano Goldschmied. A long-term collaboration, designed to give a premium option to Ovs customers who are increasingly interested in higher-end purchases. To enrich a segment that already plays a key role in the company’s business: «Ovs makes and sells about six million jeans every year – explains CEO Stefano Beraldo – it is a cornerstone of our product range and I believe that Ovs absorbs 10 % of the Italian denim market. Together with Adriano Goldschmied we want to further increase the quality of our denim. With him we will reach more advanced experimental points, not only in terms of fashion content but also in terms of sustainability».
Sustainability focus for denim
The collaboration officially started with the autumn-winter 2023/24 collection, in store from the end of the summer, with men’s and women’s models. But he has a longer breath: «It was a magical encounter with Ovs and a natural marriage – explained Adriano Goldschmied – and I personally wanted to ascertain personally Ovs’ ability and strategy in terms of sustainability, something that in my opinion should be natural part of the offering. I am against initiatives such as sustainability capsules that serve to cover up the flaws; we have chosen a “small steps” policy: each jeans is made with 10% recycled products which seems a low percentage, but it is by no means trivial to achieve». Among these small steps mentioned by Goldschmied there is also an important intervention on the dyes: «Indigo is a color with a very long history, perhaps the first known, but the chemical production cycle leaves indelible marks on the environment. So we looked for a product that could replace indigo without being harmful». The product in question – exclusive to Ovs for the Italian market for the winter 2023 and spring 2024 seasons – is called Blu Infinity and is a dye created by the Pakistani company Crescent Bahuman and allows for water savings of 62%. «The aim is to draw Ovs towards a clientele that knows the product, knows what they want and would not go and buy a more classic model».
Objective: to increase premium brands
According to Beraldo, what the new denim project fits into is «a path we take by looking for the best skills who want to embark on a story with us». And the path towards sustainability is a long and complex journey: «In the company we have a person who is responsible for studying the evolution of the European legislation on sustainability which is changing». Beraldo has no doubts about the possible green transformations of Ovs: «We are moving as far away from fast fashion as possible. The secondhand? We are thinking about it and even if I think it makes sense especially for children, I think it is better to make clothes that last rather than equipping ourselves to resell used clothes».
Beraldo has clear ideas about the future of Ovs: «We are moving towards a hybrid model, in which we have a series of different brands – some owned by us and others produced and distributed by us: from Gap to Everlast up to Piombo – so as to have an increasingly rich offer that can meet the». According to the CEO, Ovs customers have changed a lot and are moving more and more towards premium brands: «The average receipt is rising and we have evidence that all new registered customers (members of the loyalty programme, ed) spend 30% more and the share of people who buy at least one Lead garment is 20% more than old customers». Piombo, which today represents the leading brand by turnover for Ovs, has also recently embarked on the path of internationalization with openings in New York and Madrid.
Stefanel grows in Germany and Les Copains debuts in August
The group is also working on the development of premium projects outside Ovs, such as Stefanel and Les Copains. «Stefanel is doing well, we have about 100 stores worldwide and have opened about 30 in the last year. The current season is going well, up from last year, and we’ve just appointed a product director for the collection. There is a very strong demand for the brand in some countries such as Germany and Austria and this is also driving e-commerce. Before accelerating ». The speech for Les Copains that the group took over from bankruptcy was different: «It is a story that we are writing now. I would like Les Copains to be for Upim what Piombo was for Ovs: a higher quality product, with a higher price, able to satisfy a more sophisticated customer». The winter collection will be on sale in August 2023 in Upim stores: «We are also looking at independent locations. If we manage to do things well in this hybrid logic, I don’t exclude that we will be able to open shops on the street».