Missoni considering eyewear

Interviewed by Il Sole 24 Ore,marketing director Vittorio Missoni did not conceal his satisfaction with the results after the startup of the reappraisal process of the family business, which parents and founders, Ottavio and Rosita, have left to their three children after fifty years of activity.

Production and distribution investments, product restyling and various licensing proposals, including eyewear and perfumes, are part of the strategy for the 'new' Missoni. 'In the United States, orders for the latest collections were up 20%, a rise of 30% taken over the last two-year period. In Great Britain they have even tripled' Vittorio said.

Talking about distribution, he went on to explain: 'We have opened various outlets in Europe and we are getting ready to open another one in Moscow and two more of about 50-60 square meters inside Harrod's, which has been a client of ours for twenty years. In the Far East we revolutionized distribution in six months, knowing that we would have lost billings. We are well distributed throughout the world and we also have about a dozen wholly-owned stores and a total of about fifty shops-in-shops and monobrands.'

The Missoni Sport brand has also been brought back into the company with the aim of making it yield more (today it represents only 15% of overall revenues). As far as the other licenses are concerned, 'products for the home are under license to Ginori and furnishings to T&J Vestor', Missoni stated. 'Together they add up to 10-13 million. Mariella Burani is the licensee for footwear and Marzotto for the clothing line, M Missoni. Then there are other licenses for accessories and, lastly, we are looking into some proposals for eyewear and perfumes.'