The Italian premium denim producer candiani denim is facing modern market challenges with innovative products, new managers and marketing initiatives.
Forget the old “Tessitura di Robecchetto Candiani” name. The over 75-year-old Italian denim manufacturer now goes by the more impactful short-form Candiani Denim and made the switch at the beginning of 2014. A restyled logo, a new corporate image and ad hoc marketing strategies are all aimed at conveying the company DNA’s three main elements: Made in Italy, care for innovation and sustainable denims and production standards.
This historic denim manufacturer based and producing all of its fabrics from its vertically integrated premises in Robecchetto con Induno, at the North of Milan, wants to show the market how tradition, Italian craftsmanship and heritage, on one side, and contemporary luxury products, on the other, can live through the new company’s life chapter.
The year 2014 has seen a more direct involvement of Alberto Candiani, fourth generation of the Candiani family, to evolve the business strategies. The company reinforced its sales structure by introducing two long-time denim insiders, Norbert Hinderberger and Giovanni Brevi, who manage the German and Italian markets, respectively. David Austoni remains general manager, Roberto Baroni, Candiani’s most representative salesperson, was promoted to global sales manager while Elena Rossetti continues operating as in-house sales manager.
While constantly pushing innovation ahead Candiani Denim is also working through marketing activities aimed at conveying its product’s intrinsic value. During the recent 75th anniversary celebration it launched the “Rivetto d’Oro,” a golden rivet that high-end brands can apply on their garments as a quality seal that certifies the premium quality of special fabrics used.
These textiles are created with the same formula used for longstanding bestselling fabrics that the company has offered for years and boast the same care for quality and selection of raw materials. For s/s 2015 premium brands such as Denham will launch a series of garments carrying the golden rivet
seal. Besides the Rivetto D’Oro, Candiani is also concentrated on providing a “Candiani Woven Label” stating the origin and quality of the fabric.
Other marketing initiatives include collaborations with universities such as Politecnico di Milano, FIDM in Los Angeles, Jeans School and AMFI, both from Amsterdam. The first one was presented during the Kingpins Amsterdam show in May 2014. For the January 2014 edition of Bread & Butter the company presented The Candiani Denim Symphonie, a special music composition whose main percussive element is the sound generated by a weaving loom, an original 1950s shuttle loom, which sets the rhythm and creates the groove. Candiani also supported two Colombian artists, Laura Montoya and Juan Manuel Gomez, who also works for a local laundry.
The two unconventionally treated some Candiani Denim pieces and made unique art paintings out of them. The company is also strongly involved in projects aimed at showing the worth and top quality level of the “Made in Italy” denim supply chain worldwide. During the June 2014 edition of Pitti Uomo and the July 2014 edition of Pitti Filati it will participate an initiative that promotes the Made In Italy denim value chain. The event will gather some of the key players of this still significant supply chain. Among them there is Lanificio Europa, an Italian denim specialist who launched the project.
Another initiative is “Italian DNA” (see our focus on M&J, this issue), an educational yet commercial mission formed by five Italian companies of the denim supply chain that has debuted in Bangladesh.
