Malo re-launches and is strengthen by growth

Following an unstable period, Malo has returned to the front of the stage with a completely new look. The Italian brand, specializing in cashmere, has reworked its offerings by repositioning its self in the high end market, locating its self between Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli.
 

The new fall/winter 2016-17 collection has been enlarged to offer alongside knitwear for men and women, a separate ready-to-wear line complete with a collection of shoes, bags, textile accessories and leather goods.
 
Bought last year by a European investment fund, the fashion house was confided to Giacomo Canessa who founded the brand in 1972 with his brother Alfredo. “We wanted to get back to that great quality we offered in our early days by reorganizing the entire production process 100 % made in Italy”, explains the head of the company, with two factories in Campo Bisenzio near Florence, and Borgonovo, towards Plaisance.

The network of material suppliers was reviewed and exclusive agreements were forged, particularly with breeders in China and in Mongolia. What’s more, an internal office style was set up with five people, each specializing in a field, while a division was created from scratch to control the ready-to-wear.
 
“We have exclusive colours and the collection was studied so that the pallet is perfectly coordinated between the mesh, which represents 50 percent of our offerings as well as ready-to-wear. This year, we have also introduced an incomparable merino, softer than cashmere”, says Giacomo Canessa.
 
Today, the collection includes some 250 pieces for men and as many for women, which makes up more than 60 % of Malo’s total sales. “By discovering the new collection’s contemporary style and fashion strand, buyers understood that things had changed. We will now strengthen the commercial part.”
 
The fashion house posted for the 2015-16 financial year which ended March 31, a turnover of 20 million euros, up 17,5 million from the previous year.
 
Malo is currently distributed by a network of more than 200 multi-brands and twenty brand shops, including seven in Italy, four in the United States, two in France (Courchevel and Saint-Tropez), two in Russia, one in Spain and one in Germany, as well as seven franchises in South Korea.