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Behind the new square logo with which the Ixos brand will present itself on the market from the next spring-summer 2024 season, there is a 360-degree change of strategy of the Malloni group from the Marches, born in the 1980s as a shoe manufacturer in the Sant’Elpidio district and since the 2000s synonymous with a quality total look capable of combining elegance, sobriety and practicality.
«We are repositioning ourselves on a younger female target, we aim to double the share of accessories (including footwear, bags and leather goods) from 15 to 30% and to develop the commercial network, with single-brand boutiques in Italy and wholesalers in Europe, the USA and Asia», explains the managing director Fabio Malloni, second generation at the helm of the company. Supported by Antonio Todisco in the role of general manager in this challenge to reposition the group and double the current turnover (22 million euros forecast for 2023) to reach 50 million by 2026.
A hand in hitting the target will also come from e-commerce, which today accounts for 10% of turnover (it is estimated to exceed two million euros this year) but projected towards 20% within three years. With a parallel expansion of the physical stores: the opening of 10 Ixos-branded boutiques is planned in the three-year period and the expansion of the wholesale with the assignment to RPM Agency of managing the distribution through a network of 13 dedicated agents, starting from Germany, Benelux and the Balkan area, «but we are also closing agreements in China and Japan, the goal is to reach 300 new customers between Italy and abroad in the S/S 2024 season», specifies the CEO.
Ixos today represents 75% of the group’s turnover (the rest is from the Malloni brand in the premium segment) and is now aimed at customers aged between 30 and 60 with handcrafted products with attention to detail, from materials to workmanship. «The new project – explains Malloni – also aims to dialogue with a younger audience, from 20 to 30 years old, more casual, more attentive to social media and alternative products such as sneakers and sportswear, without sacrificing quality. We remain a 100% Made in Italy brand, which designs and manufactures its garments in the area, through a local supply chain, and puts quality and people at the center of its philosophy».
This is confirmed by the restyling of the Ixos logo, which abandons rounded shapes and veers towards decisive and regular lines, further strengthening the concept of Italian spirit with the addition of the claim “ID: ITALY”. Today the group employs about sixty collaborators between the Milan offices and the historic factory in Sant’Elpidio (Fermo), which become 180 with the Malloni direct stores. «The production of footwear, which accounts for about a quarter of the business, is directed and managed by our internal supply chain, while for clothing we take care of the prototyping and sampling and we entrust the work to the façonisti from central to northern Italy», explains Malloni. The expansion of customers and distribution networks is only the first step in an expansion strategy “which does not exclude the opening up to shareholdings in the future to make a further leap in size”, announces the CEO.