07 June 2004 17:18
Interview with Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel ("Al pret-a-porter servono manager")
Asked about the most interesting markets for fashion today, Renzo Rosso, founder of Italian casualwear brand Diesel,
said that the UK and Japan are his group's two primary markets, the places where fashion is most daring. Diesel
sees its highest margins in Japan, he said, where sales this year are already 32 per cent higher than forecast. China
will become increasingly important, while Russia and the EU's new eastern European members are also full of
opportunities. India will also enter the picture he said, with a new store due to open in Bombay next year.
Asked how he thought ready-to-wear fashion needs to change in Italy, Mr Rosso said that the sector needs to acquire
better managers who can make all areas of a business run more professionally. He added that he himself had recruited
managers with backgrounds in industry and large distribution to expand his business. Asked how Italian products could
regain competitiveness, Mr Rosso said that the "Made in Italy" label still attracts foreign consumers, but
that the Italian government needs to offer more incentives and investment opportunities to younger entrants in order for
the sector to grow. As for the increasing trend of transferring production to less expensive countries, Mr Rosso said
that it will be inevitable for some produciton lines due to market prices, but that the most important point is that the
brains of a business remain in Italy.
Interview conducted by C. J.
Abstracted from Il Sole 24 Ore
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