Almost half the brands at Shanghai's most prestigious shopping malls are Italian. Top-drawer designers like Alviero Martini and Canali menswear are zeroing in on the city.

 

It is obvious that China has become an increasingly important market for Italian fashion designers. Check out the most prestigious shopping malls in Shanghai and you will find almost half of the brands come from Italy.

 

To Chinese customers, "Made in Italy" itself is a most enchanting advertisement. To the Italians, the flourishing China market is like a virgin land, to which every one of them pays strong attention.

 

"China, to us, is a very important new market -- even though it's not that new, it's still a growing market," said Monica Buzzoni, commercial director of the Italian fashion house Alviero Martini, during her visit to Shanghai last week.

 

Alviero Martini's signature accessories featuring a unique map motif can be found in 10 cities. It recently opened the Shanghai flagship store on Nanjing Road W., opposite the Westgate Mall.

 

It's the fourth flagship store of Alviero Martini in China. The other three are in Hong Kong, Hangzhou, and Shenyang. And it plans to open the fifth in Beijing next year.

 

Buzzoni says the company chose this time to open the Shanghai store because "we are patient. We don't push to get anything until we get what we want. We wait until we get the best location," she explains. "We want to develop the business in the best way.

 

"The fact that the store is on the street is wonderful," she continues. "I have been walking inside the three malls across the street, from Plaza 66 to Citic Square to Westgate Mall, and I like the atmosphere very much. Our store is in the same area but it offers more visibility."

 

The Shanghai store offers a full collection of Alviero Martini's accessories as well as a selection of women and men's ready-to-wear, most of it featuring the map motif.

 

"We have a collection that is classic and permanent, and from time to time we introduce new materials and add new items according to market needs," Buzzoni says. "There are also seasonal items. One thing in common is that they all match the map motif."

 

The ready-to-wear are created to be recognizable, easy to wear and most important, to last.

 

"Today the market is ruled by the consumers," she says. "When I entered the industry about 25 years ago, it was the brand that decided what was going to be fashion. Every season, we threw the old wardrobe away and changed everything. But now things have changed. People keep things. They want clothes to be both practical and lasting."

 

According to Buzzoni, it's not the same to sell goods in Italy as to sell them worldwide.

 

"Each country is different, in terms of mentality, habits and ways of dressing," she says. "We will have to meet different market requirements. The beginning is always hard, but I'm happy with what we have done in China so far."

 

Eugenio Canali, CEO of Italy's top menswear brand Canali, also views China as a key market. Last week, he visited China for the first time to attend the grand opening of the Canali boutique at Shanghai's Citic Square -- it's also the 40th Canali store on the Chinese mainland.

 

"I have always been fascinated by the Chinese culture and now here I am in Shanghai, China, finally," says Canali. "China today represents the fifth market for turnover in the world for Canali. We are greatly impressed by the country's booming economy and we are confident that Canali will have a more promising future in China."

 

Founded in 1934, Canali is the only top men's wear brand with every single garment made entirely by hand and "100 percent" produced in Italy.

 

After entering the China market in 2002, Canali formed a retail network of 40 boutiques in 25 cities.

 

The CEO says he is glad to see Canali's fast development in China within such a short period of time, which he attributes to the tailoring, taste and Italian tradition of the brand.

 

Canali has also brought to Shanghai its 2007 spring and summer collection. The gala fashion show was held at the Shanghai Children's Palace, the 1920s structure that once was the residence of the Sephardic Jewish Kadoorie family.

 

The show was opened by a group of professional dancers in tailored uniforms. Almost all the sexy male models in town were on the runway.

 

The collection is characterized by a sophisticated sobriety, with summer-weight fabrics in delicate pastel shades. Materials are refined, volumes are light, details are precious but discreet.

 

Suits discover the precious features of silk, they vary in style to highlight slender profiles. The silhouette of jackets, rain coats and waistcoats becomes more slender and nipped-in at the waist.

 

The jackets have been designed both for leisure time and for casually formal occasions. The clothes are embellished with patches, elbow guards, precious buttons made of antique bone and other exquisite details.

 

Trousers, however, are relaxed, especially in the version of coulisse.

 

(Shanghai Daily November 27, 2006)