In less than half a year, Brioni, an Italian luxury menswear brand owned by french luxury group Kering, has opened three new boutiques in Chengdu, Wuhan and Shenzhen in China, of which Wuhan and Shenzhen are the first stores in the region.
Consumers walk into new stores, no longer all suits and leather goods, but also see home wear, hoodies, sneakers, backpacks, baseball caps and other products. Behind these changes is actually a "five-year strategic plan" that the 77-year-old classic Italian menswear brand is implementing, and it is also a comprehensive restart of Brioni after joining Kering.
Above: Brioni Shenzhen boutique
Reflecting on the performance, Brioni's changes are already beginning to bear fruit, with Brioni achieving a very encouraging rebound in its financial report for the first half of 2021 as specifically mentioned in its financial report for the first half of the 2021 fiscal year ended 30 June 2021. (See "Gorgeous Chronicles" for details:)
This article will sort out the important changes that have taken place in Brioni recently, and see how a luxury menswear veteran with a deep history can break through internal and external resistance and make a comprehensive restart. Behind the Brioni reboot, what are the latest trends in the luxury menswear industry?
Official restart after a long adjustment period
Founded in Rome in 1945, Brioni is known for its bespoke men's bespoke men's bespoke suits, shoes and accessories, which replace the oversized shoulder design of American suits with a natural lining, which is more conforming to the heavy structure of British tailoring and represents one of the most acclaimed Italian menswear designs in the post-World War II era.
In the 1950s and 1960s, as Italian classics such as La Dolce Vita set off a trend of Italian fashion around the world, Brioni's Roman formal wear style swept the world, and Bruoni became almost synonymous with "status", dressed as Brioni represented the social prestige of a brilliant gentleman.
Brioni's handmade custom suits have been favored by several Hollywood and political celebrities such as John Wayne, Clark Gable, Barack Obama and Matt Damon, and it has become a two-generation 007 suit sponsor (Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, played by "James Bond"). In 2010, Brioni generated revenues of 170 million euros.
But after the turn of the millennium, Brioni's management and debt problems began to stand out, and the company has been looking for buyers since 2008.
In 2012, Brioni attracted Kering Kering (then known as "PPR"), France's second-largest luxury group, which was expanding its brand footprint. Kering bought its entire stake in Brioni from its founding family, noting in an official statement that Brioni is "a profitable, growing business."
According to brioni unions, in the years since it was acquired by Kering, the group's focus has been more on prioritizing "debt repayment". In fact, Brioni faces other issues that need to be addressed urgently.
In the first year of the acquisition, Kering appointed Creative Director Brendan Mullane (who stayed for four years) to Brioni, and since then Brioni's creative directors have changed frequently, including: Justin O'Shea, global fashion director of former German luxury e-commerce company MyTheresa (only 6 months in office), female designers from designer brands Maison Martingie Marla and Vetements Nina-Maria Nitsche (only 1 year in office). It wasn't until Norbert Stumpfl took office in 2018 that the brand image and design style were finally stabilized.
In recent years, changes in consumer behavior and the tide of working from home under the epidemic have exacerbated the "overcapacity of formal wear", including Brands such as Brioni that focus on men's formal wear.
In April 2021, Brioni officially announced a five-year strategic plan that plans to make adjustments to categories, communications, distribution channels, internal management, production and other aspects.
It is worth noting that Brioni will continue to streamline the company structure and reduce the increasingly heavy costs of enterprises without compromising quality, but what remains unchanged is the strong positioning of Made in Italy as the core. In addition, the plan emphasizes category transformation, especially the expansion to high-end casual wear.
The introduction of this five-year strategic plan also means that after several years of adjustment, Kering has officially started the restart of Brioni.
How to advance the strategic transformation?
- New Creative Director: "I'm a natural fit with Brioni"
In 2018, Norbert Stumpfl succeeded Nina-Maria Nitsche as Creative Director of Brioni. He also became a key figure in helping the brand reboot.
Norbert Stumpfl, 45, was born in Austria and graduated from Central Saint Martins. Shortly after graduating in 2005, he was selected by Israeli fashion designer Alber Elbaz, then creative director of French luxury brand Lanvin, to become the second-in-command to relaunch Lanvin menswear.
In 2014, Norbert Stumpfl left Lanvin to join French luxury brand Balenciaga (Balenciaga), where Chinese-American designer Alexander Wang was creative director, helping to save the brand's moribund menswear business. Two years after Alexander Wang left, Norbert Stumpfl joined the menswear team led by Kim Jones after a brief partnership with his successor, Demna Gvasalia, to another French luxury brand, Louis Vuitton. He later also served in Dior and Berluti.
Norbert Stumpfl is said to have turned down invitations to several popular sneaker design projects. When Brioni threw an olive branch at him, the two sides hit it off because he felt a natural fit with Brioni.
Left: Norbert Stumpfl
- New design concept: "Make The elegance of Brioni relevant to the life of the moment"
Norbert Stumpfl brings to Brioni the experience of reinvigorating the menswear business of several luxury brands in the past, with his core philosophy of "faithfully restoring the brand and managing to make Brioni's elegance relevant to how people live today".
Brioni used to be known for providing power attire for celebrities, but Norbert Stumpfl is acutely aware that power is no longer defined by a Windsor knot on the shoulder. He made more casual and modern adjustments to the design, and continued the precise cut and extraordinary quality of The Beami in terms of craftsmanship. Brioni's change won praise from fashion critics and attracted a large number of new customers.
Norbert Stumpfl describes Brioni today: "It's a completely personal luxury, no one else will notice it, but it will make you comfortable." Although it doesn't make a lot of noise, you still know it's there. “
On change, Norbert Stumpfl explains it this way: "Ten years ago, our male clients had more rules to follow, but now, I don't think a 50-year-old man has to make himself look fashionable. "If I just do classic menswear, it's going to end up getting boring." I want to innovate and continue with this story, because I feel like there's a lot more to tell in the story. ”
---------------------------------------
Norbert Stumpfl's new creative concept at Brioni is directly reflected in the category adjustment.
In November 2021, Brioni unveiled a new denim collection that broadens the brand's wearing scene while adopting a more sophisticated Japanese red-eared denim. Its density is higher, with an elegant texture that cannot be compared with ordinary denim, "red ear" refers to an ancient denim locking process, which requires hand-to-hand tight weaving of the edges of the cloth, which can prevent the edges of denim from spreading out and making them more durable. The denim series is also GOTS certified, taking into account the current consumer concerns about fashion and environmental issues.
Note: GOTS, whose full name is Global Organic Textile Standard, sets the highest sustainable, ecological and social standards for organically produced natural fibers.
In the Spring Festival of the Year of the Ox in 2021, Brioni launched a special limited edition series for the Spring Festival based on home clothes, providing Chinese consumers with a more practical and comfortable choice.
In January, Brioni unveiled its latest Fall 2022 collection, which includes more casual styles like jackets, pullovers, pullovers and more. Norbert Stumpfl describes it as a collection that is "light, comfortable and in sync with the times".
What's even more eye-catching is that it includes a collection of women's capsules. Mehdi Benabadji, CEO of Brioni, said: "We are pleasantly surprised that many female customers have recently come to our stores looking for bespoke clothing. They want smart, elegant dress, not like a businesswoman. These works are our response. ”
In fact, Brioni tried the women's line in 2010, but closed it after only a year. This time it re-dabbled in women's clothing in the form of a capsule series, which is more cautious.
——The store is more local
"Making Brioni's Italian elegance relevant to people's lives today" is also reflected in more local considerations.
Among the three new stores in China, Brioni proposed the store theme of "China meets Italy". The Wuhan store features the beige of the Yellow Crane Tower and the auspicious Chinese red; the Shenzhen store is decorated with a hand-woven tapestry called "Ormeggi" (port of berth), which pays tribute to the long maritime tradition of Shenzhen and its surrounding seas; and the Chengdu store combines bamboo lacquer and Chengdu red. (See "Gorgeous Chronicles" for details:)
To celebrate the opening of the Chengdu store, Brioni also launched the Chengdu Limited Capsule Series, which also features more casual styles such as hoodies and polo shirts, and designed an exclusive decorative detail "Golden Lucky Knot" inspired by Chinese knots to deeply empathize with Chinese consumers.
Above: Chengdu limited capsule series
More luxury menswear is transforming into high-end casual
The home-based work trend under the pandemic has catalyzed a crisis in the formal wear industry, with the Italian Luxury Association (Fondazione Altagamma) estimating that sales in the formal wear industry segment fell by 30% in 2020. This is driving the transformation of more luxury brands' menswear business to high-end casual.
Luca Solca, a luxury analyst at investment management firm Bernstein, notes that Italian luxury brand Brunello Cucinelli "is in the right camp for a long-term casual trend." Brunello Cucinelli's new Fall 2022 menswear collection released in January this year, jogging bottoms, corduroy cargo pants and down vests offer more comfortable and casual options, and comfortable knitwear is also one of Brunello Cucinelli's product pillars.
At the Milano Moda Uomo Men's Week in Milan in January this year, the high-end casual trend of more brands is very obvious, unlike the street casual style prevalent in luxury brands in previous years, which is a casual style that returns to classicism, incorporating a comfortable and casual feeling into elegant classic formalwear.
At this men's week, Italian luxury label Tod's, known for its leather goods and shoes, showcased some pullovers, cargo pants and bomber jackets, and Creative Director Walter Chiapponi described the brand's new season of work: "We created casual wear with very expensive fabrics, announcing the return of elegance and chicness. ”
Former Tod's creative director Andrea Incontri also showcased her eponymous personal brand at Menswear Week, combining sweatpants with an elegant hunting jacket.
In December 2021, the Italian luxury group Ermenegildo Zegna (Zegna) was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and Gildo Zegna, the third generation of the Zegna family and CEO of the group, said that he would focus on the casualization of the brand and the creation of accessories categories, and clearly pointed out that the menswear business has shifted from suits to luxury casual clothing as the workplace becomes more casual.
"We've shifted our brand perception from a custom luxury brand to a sporty luxury brand," he said. I used to wear nice suits and ties. But once you start wearing these (sportswear), you're addicted. He added: "Smart work has changed our habits and the challenge is to provide a new wardrobe. The suit is not dead, but makes a difference in the new occasion." (See "Gorgeous Chronicles" for details:)