ITALY COUNTRY OF LUXURY GOODS

The top 100 luxury brands in the world have sold goods for 217 billion dollars. 90% of these are concentrated in eight countries and Italy is the first for production. According to the "Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2018" published by Deloitte, of the 100 top luxury companies in the world, Italy is the first producer by far, with 24 companies, followed by the United States with 13, the United Kingdom with 10 and France with 9. One characteristic of the Italian entrepreneurial system is that, apart from the big names and big brands like #Prada, #Armani, #Valentino and #Luxottica (which alone account for 40% of sales of the entire sector), there is an enormous fragmentation of small and medium-sized companies of artisan excellence, often family-ran. This characteristic, although often seen as a hinderance in a globalised market, is in fact an extremely positive asset, given that small companies are firmly in the hands of the founding families, thus retaining a tight control over quality and design, as well as the relationship with the territory, safeguarding tradition and above all protecting the local craftsmen and artisans, custodians of knowledge and tradition of handmade products. The true Italian asset is precisely the know-how that is preserved thanks to these small luxury brands, which are not locked into the profit-driven dynamics of multinationals, often forced to relocate their products to Asia at the expense of quality, to then be re-assembled back in Europe.

It is also for this reason that I decided to help a small and young Italian company based in Naples: PARTHENOPE BOTTEGHE ARTIGIANE they produce, through the skilled hands of local artisans, beautiful women's shoes, all absolutely unique because made strictly by hand,

designed by young Neapolitan designers and embellished with handmade cufflinks. I want to share the artisan knowledge of design and protect the ancient artisan know-how of the Neapolitan workshops: the Brand is PARTHENOPE Artisan workshops.

This is my first experience in the fashion world, so I would be very interested in receiving advice or collaborations from people skilled in this field who could support me in this new and exciting adventure.