An encounter between apparently distant worlds, that of Antonio Marras and his artisanal and niche pret-à-porter, and that of Sandro Veronesi, founder and president of Calzedonia, one of the largest Italian fashion groups and leader in underwear and from the beach. But the acquisition by Calzedonia of 80% of the Marras brand, founded by the designer Antonio with his wife Patrizia, managing director of the company, is above all the result of a personal understanding, also unexpected but perhaps not so surprising. .
Because, more often than you think, mergers and acquisitions, in fashion and beyond and whether or not they are listed companies, arise precisely from a common feeling between entrepreneurs even before data analysis and financial statements. Or rather, from a meeting between similar visions of people passionate about their work. As Sandro Veronesi explains, who over the years has created one of the most diversified and original group in Europe, which closed 2021 with revenues of 2.5 billion, up 29% on 2020 and 3.9% on 2019 .
The operation you do not expect, kept secret until yesterday’s announcement. How was it born?
«In recent years we have carried out several operations, starting with the Calzedonia brand and the more similar ones, Intimissimi and Tezenis. Today we have in our portfolio Falconeri, specialized in fine yarns, the wedding and ceremony dress maison Atelier Emé and the Signorvino chain, restaurants with a vocation, so to speak, enological. We lacked a pret-à-porter brand, with all the know-how that this implies, from fashion shows to communication, from different distribution to communication ».
Why exactly Marras though?
«Every day or almost every day, I and my collaborators are offered dossiers on textile-fashion companies, and not only, to be evaluated. In fact, there are many brands on the market, especially small and medium-sized ones, also as a result of the pandemic, which has put everyone to the test. Really interesting companies, from my point of view, and correctly evaluated, there are however very few of them ».
How much is the acquisition worth?
“One of the advantages of not being listed is that you don’t have to give details like these. However, I can say that it was a satisfactory agreement for everyone and that Antonio, with the share he will keep, is an integral part of the future of the brand and the company ».