Fendi bets on Italy

Fendi continues to strengthen its industrial plan with the new Fendi factory, the pole of excellence for leather goods unveiled yesterday in Bagno a Ripoli (Florence). A week after the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the factory dedicated to footwear in Fermo, the Lvmh maison unveiled the new building in the Tuscan countryside, announced in recent years and built in less than two. However, that is not all: according to MFF, also in the area, the former factory of the Roman fashion house in Ponte a Ema, part of the Florentine municipality, left vacant by the relocation to the factory, will now be redeveloped and, in the upcoming months, will host a new production hub for Givenchy, another brand in the French giant's orbit. Fendi and Lvmh, however, declined to comment on the rumors.

Made open for a tour yesterday in the presence of, among others, Antoine Arnault, Image and Environment Lvmh, Serge Brunschwig, Fendi's Chairman and ceo, and Silvia Venturini Fendi, accessories and menswear creative director, as well as the president of the Tuscany region Eugenio Giani, the mayor of Bagno a Ripoli Francesco Casini and the councilor welfare education of the municipality of Florence Sara Funaro, Fendi factory is developed on an area of 8 hectares, with the building occupying 30,000 square meters, an area that formerly housed the historic Brunelleschi furnace.

The initial concept was developed by Piuarch architectural firm in Milan, then continued and coordinated internally by Fendi's architecture department. The new hub for handbags and leather goods is the result of an investment of about 50 million euros, even more than the over 40 million euros leaked in the days of the announcement, and in any case the highest amount invested to date by Lvmh in Italy for a manufacture. There are already 400 employees working inside, including 370 transferred from the previous factory and 30 newly hired, but the number is set to increase to 700 over the next four years, when leather goods produced in-house will weigh 40% of the total. The spaces, where there are several high-tech machines, an element that also characterizes the warehouses, have blurred boundaries with the outside.

The building composed of a structure developed on a single main level hosts every function (production, laboratories, offices, services), a basement for parking, and a first floor with the canteen for employees (managed by a company in Da Vittorio food group) which directly faces the roof garden. The plant is surrounded by 7 hectares of fields, with the landscape project of the factory planned with the goal of integrating factory and landscape. An olive grove of 700 plants unfolds in every area of the park, favoring the oil production which can reach 900 liters per year.

In line with the constant commitment of the Maison towards sustainability, the hub was designed by respecting the requirements to obtain the Leed Platinum certification by 2023. Inside the building, nine glazed courtyards, characterized by Mediterranean scrub tree species, illuminate the space, strengthening the link with the surrounding landscape. The interiors also feature terracotta cladding designed by Fendi, placed in a pattern of alternating vertical lines that echo the Pequin logo, interrupted by the insertion of hand-made terracotta tiles reminiscent of the pre-existing kiln material.

«Fendi Factory represents Fendi’s largest factory, and we are proud to give our employees a sustainable working environment», Brunschwig told MFF. Concerning the results, after the Group announced the data on Tuesday, Fendi exited the Covid-19 crisis stronger than before, exceeding 2019 sales as early as 2021 and enjoying solid double-digit growth in 2022. Some geographical areas are outperforming the industry, especially Europe, America, South-East Asia, and each category is growing, especially bags, with a huge surge for the Peekaboo and the Baguette models. Despite an unpredictable geopolitical and economic environment, the brand remains extremely positive for the upcoming year. (All rights reserved)