Intimissimi, an Italian intimates label, has signed Jennifer Lopez as their new face to increase their presence in the American market.
Group general manager Marcello Veronesi told WWD at Calzedonia’s ritzy Paris Fashion Week party that the singer had recently signed on as the company’s latest global ambassador.
Lopez’s signing is a significant step toward expanding the Intimissimi label’s consumer base and raising the label’s profile in the United States. Although the company’s flagship store opened in New York in 2017, the company’s ambitious plan to expand to both coasts was slowed by the pandemic.
Half of the current total of 50 Intimissimi stores opened that year. Marcello Veronesi: “We slightly cooled down, slowed our expansion, over the last two years due to the pandemic, but… we are looking towards next year to spend again.”
His father, Sandro Veronesi, is the company’s CEO, and Marcello runs communications for the Calzedonia group. The group also owns the Tezenis, Atelier Emé, and Falconeri labels, in addition to the hosiery house in Calzedonia.
The group thinks the market for lingerie and intimate apparel in the United States is huge. From 2007 to 2010, Intimissimi was sold in a few Victoria’s Secret stores before the two companies parted ways.
The company is now attempting to steal some of its customers.
After Victoria’s Secret’s dominance, Sandro Veronesi believes a new era has begun in the market. We’re hoping to carve out a niche for ourselves in the market for newer brands. For the American branch of Intimissimi, we have a stylish suggestion. It will be a while before we learn.”
The corporation has 70 Calzedonia tights stores in the United States with future expansion plans. Because “the two markets are different and the competitors are different,” Sandro Veronesi explained, “we want to grow a lot and we also want to understand better the taste and the preferences of the American public.” So, we need to study hard and put money into developing our networks, our communication skills, and our global presence.
This month, the firm also acquired a controlling interest in the fashion house of Antonio Marras.
It’s the brand’s first venture into the luxury fashion market, as they’ve previously only produced knitwear and accessories.
It’s not our primary goal, but we saw a possibility in a company with a lot of creative potentials but little structure behind it, as Salvo Veronesi put it. To paraphrase, “because we have a company in communication, retail, and manufacturing, and we thought it could be a good marriage and beneficial to both.
”
Before considering any expansion plans, he said, the Marras house must first get its finances in order.
Intimissimi and Calzedonia are our primary concerns at the moment, but we plan to expand to other brands in the future, said Marcello Veronesi. Before bringing any foreign brands into the United States, they want to make a name for themselves with the two already here.
The two were promoting their upcoming “Legs Celebration,” the first party under the Calzedonia brand name, and its presence at Paris Fashion Week. A giant art installation and a room with contortionists bending and twisting around a light installation were just two of the ways the brand took over Palais Brongniart.
The celebration is an integral part of the organization’s plans to expand internationally.
Marcello Veronesi remarked, “This is completely new for us; we’ve never organized an event outside Italy with such a huge investment and number of guests.” We hope that [the team] will rise to the occasion, as this is a novel experiment for us. We’re here today to establish the fact that though we’re based in Italy, we consider ourselves to be a truly global band that’s always on the lookout for exciting opportunities.