The design office has always been located in Gaggio Montano, Italy, but some of Piquadro’s production has been outsourced. Starting as a third-party producer in 1987, the company launched its own collection of leather bags and accessories in 1998.
“We are never going to leave Gaggio Montano. If we did, then none of the people who work here would come with me, and without those people who gave this business its soul, we are nothing,” Marco Palmieri, General Manager of the brand told local media. “We are leathermakers, and some of our production is outsourced. But our brand’s real value and uniqueness is tied to this land, the passion of the people who saw our name grow, and to our Apennine culture”, he added, emphasising that the company started reshoring some of its activities three years ago.
According to Palmieri, the company’s costs have “skyrocketed in Asia, and the logistics have always been a problem”. The recent issues encountered by some large container shipment companies have encouraged the Piquadro to speed up the reshoring.
Given the slowdown in the luxury market, the company aims to respond to clients who seek a “Made in Italy” label as opposed to a “Made in China”. This is particularly the case in China, which is becoming one of Piquadro’s most important markets. “We can’t risk arriving in the market with ‘wrong’ products”, says Palmieri. “And there’s also this: increasing the number of purses we make in Italy is the best way to discover ourselves and where it all comes from: our creativity, originality, and our ability to work in teams”, he added.
In November 2015, Piquadro announced it had acquired an 80% stake in Il Ponte Pelletteria for €3.17 million, with plans to have complete control of the company in future. Read more here.
Source: ItalyEurope24
