Blumarine Presses on Accessories With Y2K Handbag Collection
MILAN — Blumarine is keen to step up its accessories game.
Seen as pivotal in expanding the scope of the brand and further amplifying the Y2K aesthetic creative director Nicola Brognano has imprinted on the brand since his appointment in 2019, accessories have been targeted as a key focus for the company in 2023, starting with handbags.
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After tiptoeing in the category over the past few collections by designing sleek leather mini bags and logoed options in eco-fur, Brognano has developed the first comprehensive range of handbags for the brand. The line will officially debut as part of Blumarine’s pre-fall 2023 collection, which will be unveiled next month, and it’s expected to hit store shelves starting in June.
Brognano addressed the “commercial need” behind the project, as well as the will of expressing the brand’s ethos all-around. “We wanted to translate the DNA of the brand in functional bags that could be used from day to night,” said the designer, who shied away from “constrained styles, in which you can’t even fit a mobile phone.”
As a result, the range includes three different designs evoking early Aughts vibes to match the sassy, low-waist, high-hemline look Brognano has brought to the brand and Blumarine’s signature codes.
The “Kiss Me” bag comes with a curvy shape recalling an upper lip and long handles, making for “a more feminine and seductive” style, said Brognano. The “Butterfly Bag” option is quite literal in nodding to the animal spirit of the label but is embellished with side buckles for a rawer look, while “Cargo Bag” extends Brognano’s exploration of utilitarian aesthetics from ready-to-wear to accessories with its pockets galore.
Each style is available in two sizes and the designs are crafted from leather, vinyl or denim in a color palette ranging from pink, purple and red tones to taupe and black.
“It’s a first, mini collection. The plan is to build on this and expand it with other styles,” said the designer.
“Historically and to date, the handbag category has never had such a weight [on total sales] to be considered significant [at Blumarine]. For this reason, this project [feels] like a start-up,” said Marco Marchi, founder and president of the board of directors of the EIH Eccellenze Italiane group that controls Blumarine’s parent company Blufin.
“We believe that in the medium term, this product category could account for up to 50 percent of the brand’s turnover,” continued the Italian entrepreneur, who declined to provide total sales figures expected for 2022 but projected “a strong double-digit growth.”
To propel the accessories line’s push, Marchi aims to launch dedicated pop-up stores in prominent luxury department stores in Europe, but the strategy and list of partners will be fine-tuned during the sales campaign next month. The entrepreneur revealed that preliminary, strong interest was received especially from the U.K. and France, in addition to Italy.
For sure, visibility of the accessories will be enhanced in the new retail concept the brand will unveil next summer, when the Blumarine store in Rome will reopen with a revamped format in line with Brognano’s creative direction.
Overall, Blumarine’s best-performing markets are the U.S., the U.K. and South Korea, “which are growing and reacting extremely well to the offering since the beginning of the new stylistic journey,” said Marchi.
“These are markets considered as innovators and fashionistas par excellence, in which some of our clients have achieved sell-through performances of 90 percent. We also see huge potential in the Chinese market, which boasts high-spending, fashionable and very active Gen Z customers, and across Europe, where the awareness and interest in the brand are constantly growing,” added the entrepreneur.
Looking forward, Marchi said that a focus on footwear will be next at the brand, as the team dedicated to this category has been strengthened to develop its expansion. Similar to handbags, the creative approach will be exalting the house’s codes, such as the rose symbol, in addition to the butterfly motif and denim.
“In the first half of 2023 we will also launch two collaborations, one with an Asian footwear brand and the other with a New York-based ready-to-wear label,” teased Marchi, keeping further details under wraps. In the second half of the year, capsule collections with a selection of retailers and special drops exclusive to Blumarine’s own e-commerce are also slated to be released.
It’s intended that the ultimate mission of these launches is to boost the fashion brand’s appeal and performance by building it further into a lifestyle label.
At the moment, Blumarine’s offering also includes eyewear and fragrances, licensed to Angelini Beauty and De Rigo, respectively. A Blumarine Sposa bridal line is produced and distributed by specialist Bellantuono Bridal Group, while a home collection is handled by Svad Dondi SpA.
Last year Marchi, who’s also the founder of contemporary label Liu Jo, decided through his own fashion company Liu Jo Group to take over the licenses of Blufin’s contemporary and children’s wear lines, named Blugirl and Miss Blumarine, respectively. Blumarine was not part of the deal and continued to be managed separately by Blufin.
As reported, the Italian entrepreneur acquired the Gruppo Blufin and its brands Blumarine, Blugirl, Anna Molinari and Be Blumarine from the founding Tarabini family in November 2019. The deal closely followed an acquisition by Eccellenze Italiane of a 15 percent stake in Italian retailer Coin SpA.
The creation of the Eccellenze Italiane conglomerate aims to boost the visibility and business of small and medium-sized Italian companies on the global scene and in 2019, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marchi said the final goal for the group was an initial public offering. Marchi planned a listing of the Liu Jo company in 2018, a project that he has said was postponed because of unfavorable market conditions.