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Issue 1/2016

Cool Cities Venice

Interviews: Francesca Zara & Massimo Pigozzo, Enzo Fusco, Andrea Canè, Patrick Coppolecchia-Reinartz, Simon Giuliani, Nick Ashley

‚MADE IN ITALY‘ – Still a seal of quality?

Italy is a dream destination. When it comes to art, style and craftsmanship the country can proudly look back on centuries of tradition.

But what’s the status quo of Italian fashion? This is the question we’d frequently been asking ourselves over the past months. After all, the ‘Made in Italy’ stamp has always denoted a certain exclusivity, as well as extravagant designs and well-crafted products.

Prada, Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, Giorgio Armani – the list of lthe country’s large fashion dynasties is endless. And in terms of more democratic, affordable brands, Italy has always had a good nose for quality. Woolrich, Blauer, C.P. Company, Stone Island, Replay, Diesel: in recent years these protagonists in the casualwear sector have been decisive in defining style for a large swathe of the population, with just as many male as female fans in the fashion department.

All the more reason to take regular trips across the Alps and see what’s going on. In recent years we have covered Rome, Milan and Florence, and this time we set our sights on Venice. While the city is primarily known for its Murano glass, the fame of its weaving mills has not spread in the same way; nevertheless the Veneto region has the reputation of being home to some of the best production facilities in Italy. So we not only scoured the beautiful lagoon city and its retail scene for this issue, but also took a few trips to the mainland.

Barena Venezia was our first port of call. Francesca Zara and Massimo Pigozzo provided us with insights into their work on a collection inspired by Venice’s clothing traditions. How does the pair manage to design, market and distribute a fashion line that is becoming more and more successful whilst also retaining a good work-life balance? The enthusiastic couple let us in on the secret from page 66. Enzo Fusco, founder of FGF Industry and an old hand in the casualwear scene, was the second interview partner we visited. He talked to us about his love of old uniforms and modern functional materials. You can read our interview with Fusco on page 68. 
Another high-ranking interview partner on the topic of Italy is Andrea Canè, creative director of WP Lavori in Corso, the company behind the Woolrich brand. We sampled the most delicious pasta alla Bolognese in Bologna before he explained his vision of what is set to replace the heritage movement that has dominated the fashion scene for the past few years. Fredericke Winkler, J’N’C’s fabrics specialist, spoke to Simon Giuliani, marketing manager of Candiani Denim near Milan, about the new development centre and the green potential in the world of indigo, while Patrick Coppolecchia-Reinartz, owner of the agency D-tails and a distribution expert with Italian roots, had an interesting conversation with our contributor Gerlind Hector.

But Italy isn’t the only place where there’s a lot going on: here in Germany the wheels are also in motion. In order to provide you with even more targeted information, we have decided to add more of a service slant to J’N’C: in our new ‘Must Buys’ section you can read all about the products that we consider essential to a modern retail range and can highly recommend. ‘Four Elements’ is a rundown of styling suggestions for products, bringing a focus to brands you may not have had on your radar until now. It will also help the shop owners amongst you to round off your portfolio with some fresh new names.

J’N’C News, published parallel to this magazine, has also shifted a stronger focus onto service, with new topics and new focal points. We have some exciting plans for the upcoming issues of these two J’N’C publications this year, so get ready for more surprises!

We hope you have a successful start to the season and also that you enjoy the virtual trip to Italy with us.
Ilona Marx

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