Interview with Franco Frabello
The Marzotto group is a company with many divisions; it produces thread, ultra fine wool, cotton and fabrics destined for both clothing and furniture. One division of the Marzotto group is Marzotto GMF that makes fabrics for male and female clothing. Do you work on commissions or do you present a collection at specific events?
“We prepare two collections each year, one for textiles destined for summer use and the other for the winter collections. We exhibit at two very important events: at Milano Unica and immediately afterwards, in Paris. From that moment on the sales campaign begins”
From the moment a stylists expresses an interest in your product, what happens next and what do they ask for?
“We visit the client and present the collection in their office. An average collection comprises of 200 articles and 7000 variations. At this point the client can request reference materials such as colour and design, or cuts to create their own collection. They can even request samples of 70 – 140 meters to create their entire collection.”
You work with quite a large share of the market, how do you work with the larger firms, I imagine they want exclusivity?
“Certainly, firms such as Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani, Corneliani, Prada and many others need to maintain a clear identity on the market and thus ask for quite big variations. Sometimes they ask for the impossible or perhaps something that is not inherent to our production; therefore, in these case we signpost them in another direction. But considering that we are dealing with professionals, we usually find some common ground and are able to translate these variations in to a fabric we can provide. These are what we call “exclusives” and they arise when the client wants something specific, perhaps from a particularly creative idea, or something very different or risky or something that means they stand out from the masses and is characteristic of their brand identity.”
Is it stimulating for you?
“Absolutely! The big brands anticipate trends, they are copied by everyone. They give us input which enables us to mature an idea and suggest directions for themes to take forward in the subsequent collections.”
Would you define Made in Italy in three words?
“Innovation, research and taste.”
