The SPIN OFF met with Andrea Citterio, shareholder and CEO of Milano 1984, the holding company specializing in the lighting industry to which the Court of Vicenza awarded the bid to acquire Grotto Spa, the company that owns the Gas Jeans brand, saving it from bankruptcy.
Gas Jeans is an iconic brand of the great Italian heritage of fashion and in particular of denim. The fashion sector is akin to the other sectors in which I have invested and represents one of the areas of excellence in our country. Fashion, Furniture, Food, Ferrari, are the 4 Fs for which we are recognized as excellence and in which I focus and will continue to focus my efforts.
Do you own other fashion brands?
I already have a stake in Castor Fashion, a Mantua-based company in which I serve as CEO. Castor is a 65-employee company that started as a prototyping company, and over the years has recorded collaborations with the most prestigious fashion houses-Italian and French-and continues to grow. Castor also created Mantù, its own brand under which it produces and distributes high-end women's daily wear. It also provides services and consultancy at the highest level and signs collaboration and licensing agreements with several designers.
The world of fashion is, in some ways, akin to the world of style and design; in fact, it often anticipates trends and traits that are then found in the various declinations and areas of application of design. In particular, my commitment at the moment is concentrated in what has become the first Italian industrial pole entirely dedicated to lighting: Auralis, which includes companies such as Penta, Castaldi and Arredoluce, and each of them, in its product category, represents an excellence of Italian design in the world as it is appreciated all over the world, where we register more than 70% of our sales.
In general, I can only say that we will act on a business model aimed at enhancing the remarkable heritage contained in the company's archives, looking at the international market. Strategies, paths and milestones will be defined in detail with the management that will take office and accompany me on this new adventure.
Will you also focus on sustainable projects?
Yes, starting with economic sustainability, then social and environmental.
In the announcement to acquire the company, there was no provision for any family members to be transferred. Similarly there will be no redundancies for its 140 workers, they were not planned when we submitted the bid, and they still are not.
Will the headquarters remain in Chiuppano?
Absolutely, yes. They will remain in Chiuppano, and we want to start a constructive and open dialogue with the institutions and local government.
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