Mandelli has a rich history in Italian luxury manufacturing, but the brand has been flying under the radar in the U.S. market. Now the family-owned company is hoping to change that.
Last month Mandelli opened an atelier/showroom on 57th Street in Manhattan to raise its profile in America. Although the brand has been selling its high-end men’s wear in the States for a few years to such wholesale customers as Bergdorf Goodman and the Forum Group shops, the showroom is intended to introduce its collection to other retailers and directly to customers, who are invited to visit the atelier to view the line in person and place orders.
Luca Errico, senior new business development manager for Enrico Mandelli SpA, said the brand currently counts around 30 to 35 retail clients in the U.S. and the country represents some 20 percent of the company’s total volume.
Related Articles
He said that retailers and customers in the U.S. who have experienced the line have been attracted to its strong price-value offering. While the quality and aesthetic is similar to other high-end Italian brands such as Brunello Cucinelli, Kiton and Isaia, the price is lower — although still firmly in the luxury arena. Prices start at around $2,500 for a basic cashmere outerwear piece and include $3,800 for a parka with a fur collar and $9,000 for a full fur coat.
You May Also Like
Errico said Mandelli is able to offer more-reasonable price points because it owns its own tanneries and factories. It is also the second-largest Loro Piana customer in the world, according to Errico.
The brand traces its history to the early 1900s when Enrico Mandelli started a business as a leather trader near Lecco in the Lombardy region of Italy. His son, Paolo, joined the business in 1925 and helped the company expand throughout the country. In 1960, the third generation of the family, Paolo’s son Enrico, joined the company and started using its expertise in leather to create garments as well. In addition to leather, the company tarted using other luxury fibers such as cashmere and vicuña for its sportswear pieces.
By the 1970s, the company began manufacturing for other luxury brands including Moschino, Dolce & Gabbana and Emanuel Ungaro. Thirty years ago, it began marketing its own collection under the Mandelli name, even though it still does work for other brands. In fact, private label manufacturing still represents 30 percent of total sales, Errico said, declining to name current customers.
Outerwear represents the bulk of the business, in natural and technical fibers and exotic leathers, but the brand also offers knitwear, trousers, footwear, bags and accessories. It works a lot in crocodile and Errico said the brand offers the thinnest crocodile leather in the market, 0.4 millimeters. It also offers more than 30 colors of vicuña — both solid and patterns. The fall 2022 Luxury Lifestyle collection includes pieces with cashmere linings, fur collars, suede details and pockets on the sides of garments, which the company said is essential for the American market.
The brand, which has more than 80 styles available for fall, is focused more on luxury sportswear than tailored clothing, a strategy that is paying off as men eschew suits for a more relaxed wardrobe, Errico said.
Mandelli currently operates two stores in Milan and Kiev and another is slated to open in Moscow in the spring. The plan for the U.S., according to Errico, is to open units in New York, Los Angeles and Miami by 2024.
Two seasons ago, Mandelli also introduced a women’s collection and it will be introduced to the American market next month.