Ittierre goes live with e-commerce site and opens temporary store in Milan

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Nov 30, 2012

Ittierre is bolstering its retail strategy with the launch of an online store and the opening of a "temporary department store," said the company in a press release.

In September, Ittierre unveiled its new multibrand concept store HitGallery with the opening of a store in Hong Kong designed by the Milan architect Fabio Novembre. Now the manufacturer and Italian distributor specialized in licenses for luxury brands has turned its attention to Europe and particularly to Milan with this new project.

While the company had announced a large flagship in the capital of Italian fashion, it is meanwhile opening a temporary store that will remain open "for at least six months," said the press release.

Dubbed "IT'S 30 MANZONI," the 1,000-square-meter store in Milan's luxury neighborhood is located at 30 via Manzoni in the 18th-century Palazzo Scotti Gallarati, previously home to the Italian designer brand Driade. The interior was designed by an in-house creative team. The store will offer principal collections of the group’s licensed brands.

Traditionally Ittierre was specialized in young lines and "inexpensive" brands. Acquired by the lingerie group Albisetti in 2011, the company now produces more upscale lines for the semi-luxury price segment. Ittierre currently holds a dozen licenses, including Pierre Balmain, Tommy Hilfiger Collection, Karl Lagerfeld Paris, C'N'C Costume National, Aquascutum, Galliano, GF Ferré and Fiorucci.

Meanwhile, Ittierre is launching its e-commerce project. The group's first online shop, www.hitgallery.com, has been live for a few days in 35 countries, including Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Spain and Germany. This online store offers collections for men and women produced and distributed by the group, such as Pierre Balmain, C'N'C, Aquascutum, GF Ferré, Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld Paris. It also sells products marketed by Albisetti, the new owner of Ittierre, namely lingerie lines and textile accessories for men and women from designers like Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Alviero Martini, 1° Classe and Balmain Paris.

Inspired by the HitGallery store concept, this e-commerce site was also created in-house. For this project, the company intends to build on the strength of its supply chain to "maintain total and direct control of its online image and its marketing strategies as well as its merchandising and marketing activities," said Ittierre. Only shipping and deliveries have been outsourced.

The aim is also to cater to American and Chinese customers with fast shipping, managed through two logistics platforms that will be further developed starting next season.