Miroglio

Miroglio is an Italian firm specialising in the manufacture and distribution for sale of ready-to-wear clothing and fabrics. Incorporated in Alba, Cuneo, Italy, the Group has 37 business operations in 22 countries. The Group develops the Apparel product stream in lockstep its store network, currently encompassing 900 single-branded stores.

History

The firm was established at Alba in 1947 by Giuseppe Miroglio, son of Carlo and Angela Miroglio, both of whom ran a drapery business at the turn of the 19th century. The move from trade to industry dates back to when Giuseppe Miroglio decided to venture into the production of silk fabrics and the installation of looms. Vestebene (now Miroglio Fashion) was established in 1955. This division is dedicated to mass-production of fashionable women's clothes. In 1958, the Miroglio Group broadened its sphere of activity by opening a modern dyeing, special cloth finishing and textile-printing plant, thereby completing the fabric-to-garment production chain.

Vestebene started moving some of its production away from Italy in the 1970s, initially to Greece and then to other countries, from Tunisia to Egypt, throughout the Mediterranean. At the same time its fabric division diversified into the thread, yarn, and transfer paper industries. Over the course of the next two decades, the group opened new manufacturing operations in Southern Italy, particularly in the Apulia region.[1]

In 1973, the Fondazione Opera Elena Miroglio (now the Fondazione Elena e Gabriella Miroglio) was established. This has a focus on raising awareness of cultural, welfare, and social issues. Emphasis is placed on activities oriented towards Group employees (healthcare and economic support) and towards their children (nurseries, holiday camps, scholarships) and, not least, towards the group's pensioners, providing them with pleasure trips and other recreations.[2]

The Elena Mirò brand was launched in 1984 (or 1985, according to its current website[3]). (Since 2005, the brand has been targeted at the more generous sizing womenswear sector.[4]) By the mid-1980s, the Group was forging a strategic alliance with leading stylists such as Moschino and Krizia. Eventually other brands were born, such as Caractère and Diana Gallesi, as well as Motivi in 1993.[5]

Another milestone along the route to internationalisation was the Group's entry into the Bulgarian market, accomplished in 2001 through acquisition of a legendary production site at Sliven.[6]

In October 2002, the president of the Italian Republic conferred on Carlo Miroglio, chairman of the Miroglio Group, the Cavaliere di Gran Croce (Knight Grand Cross), an insignia bestowed on those who, in the course of their life and professional career, have been singularly meritorious with long and conspicuous service in social, commercial and industrial activities.[7]

Gaining shape in 2003 were rumours of imminent withdrawal by Miroglio from its spinning manufacturing facilities in Southern Italy, starting with the production site at Castellaneta earmarked for shut down in the Spring 2004.

In December 2004, the Miroglio Group seals a joint venture agreement with Elegant Prosper, a Chinese enterprise specialising in mid/upper bracket womenswear. The initial investment enabled the Italian Group to acquire an interest in the jointly controlled Asian entity. The joint venture was primed primarily toward providing a platform for more vibrant brand growth and development. Following in the wake thereof were specific projects, all of which designed toward enhancing awareness of Miroglio's Italian brand names across the Asian marketplace.[8]

At end of 2006, the Miroglio Group oversaw one thousand stores flying the Miroglio banner.[9]

During 2007, on occasion of the International Women's Day, the insignia of Cavaliere della Repubblica (Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) was awarded to Elena Miroglio. The insignia was bestowed by virtue of the contribution made by the Elena Mirò brand and by the Group toward "emancipating women from a constrictive concept of beauty", as declared during the award ceremony by Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Italian Republic.[10]

In June 2008, the Miroglio Group acquired a stake in the Ayaydin Group, a sector leading competitor, specialising in womenswear fashion, across the Turkish marketplace. As agreed by contract, the Miroglio Group works toward building up the market footprint forged by the Ayaydin Group across the homeland and across emerging markets (such as Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and Moldavia). The contract contemplates an important five-year investment plan.[11]

Shut down at end 2008 was one other spinning production site managed and operated by the Group at Ginosa in Apulia, becoming the subject of parliamentary questions and debate.[12][13]

In September 2009, the Motivi brand had 500 single-branded stores: 340 stores in Italy and 160 stores abroad. The brand is distributed in 36 countries with significant market presence in Russia (45 proprietary stores) and in the rest of Eastern Europe (50 stores scattered across Romania, Poland, Croatia, and Lithuania).

Current organization

Today the Miroglio Group is an Italian industrial concern which operates in the textiles and women’s fashion sectors. It is present in 22 countries, with 37 operating companies and 4 production sites.

Miroglio Textile leads the way in printed fabrics, transfer paper and technical film for the decoration of various types of material.

Miroglio Fashion, the Group’s womenswear arm, creates and markets 11 women’s fashion brands (including the joint ventures) which are distributed internationally. With its 4,500 employees, Miroglio Fashion is retailed through 900 branded stores and 2,200 multi-brand outlets.

The Miroglio Fashion brands: Motivi, Oltre, Fiorella Rubino, Elena Mirò, Caractère, Per te by Krizia, Diana Gallesi and Luisa Viola are joined by the three brands forming the Turkish partnership with the Ayaydin Group: Ipekyol, Machka and Twist.

Bibliography
  • Carugati Decio G.; Marsano Beba Vestebene Miroglio. Cinquant'anni di storia attraverso la moda 2005, 101 p., ill., rilegato Mondadori Electa (collana Industria e design)

Notes
  1. Miroglio in Puglia su Corriere del Giorno
  2. La Fondazione Miroglio Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Our Story". Elena Mirò. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  4. Articolo del Corriere della Sera
  5. Carugati-Marsano in bibliografia
  6. L'entrata nel mercato bulgaro
  7. Comunicazione del Quirinale
  8. Miroglia in Cina Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Stile.it
  9. Comunicato sul sito ufficiale
  10. Articolo di Repubblica
  11. Comunicazione sul sito ufficiale
  12. Interrogazione parlamentare del 24/09/08
  13. Risposta all'interrogazione del 23/04/09
gollark: ***undine***
gollark: Really? An octahedron?
gollark: Sure.
gollark: Fire Gem x Sunsong?
gollark: Alt omen wyrms are quite bright.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.