<\/p>\n
\n\tMILAN \u2014 Remo Ruffini describes himself as \u201ca self-taught man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tHe must be one prime teacher, as he has grown Moncler from a dwindling brand that reported sales of around 50 million euros in 2003 into an international powerhouse that is part of a publicly listed group with revenues of 3.13 billion euros in 2025 and 8,000 employees around the world.<\/p>\n
\n\tRuffini learned the ropes by venturing into the fashion world with a brand that he invented in the 1980s and called New England, influenced by his fascination with Boston, Martha\u2019s Vineyard and Hyannis Port, \u201cthe world of the Kennedys,\u201d he reminisced during an interview at his sprawling Milan office in the new headquarters inaugurated a year ago. Casa Moncler spans over a total area of 829,000 square feet, a six-floor building housing 800 employees; a double-height, 48,400-square-foot showroom with a shed roof, and a surrounding landscaped green.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe question I have always asked myself is, \u2018will I learn something from this person?\u2019\u201d Ruffini said of his industry encounters, asked to comment on his personal trajectory in fashion starting with the New England brand, which he sold in 2001. \u201cI have had a long apprenticeship and I have never forgotten its steps, the good and the bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThis practical and hands-on approach continues to forge his strategies, leading to Moncler being the recipient of the WWD 2026 Honor for Public Company of the Year. His MO perfectly reflects the theme of this year\u2019s WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit, \u201cThe Great Reset,\u201d forging new and innovative ways to speak to the Moncler community while always carefully \u201cprotecting the value of the brand,\u201d a statement he reiterated throughout the interview.<\/p>\n
\n\tResetting Moncler for Ruffini means \u201cevolving it, never radically changing or betraying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tStaying true to the legacy of the brand is actually what prompted Ruffini to invest in Moncler in the first place. \u201cAfter inventing one, I wanted a brand that had history. I continue to go back to our archives, look at the photos, studying and reinterpreting Moncler to make it current and modern and I always find something,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\n\tCase in point: the launch earlier this month of Moncler Re\/Icons, first introduced in 2023, and now reinterpreting the Karakorum, Verone, Himalaya and Tibb jackets, with the addition of a full ready-to-wear collection and a bold campaign fronted by Cher, Grace Jones and Jennie, celebrating individuality and pushing boundaries.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tCher fronts the Moncler Re\/Icons campaign.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcourtesy image<\/p>\n
\n\tThis reflects the brand\u2019s history, \u201cequipping the world\u2019s most intrepid pioneers,\u201d as it did in 1954 for the historic Italian expedition that achieved the first successful ascent of K2, the world\u2019s second-highest mountain.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThrough Re\/Icons, we celebrate this pioneering attitude and reaffirm something that has always been true for Moncler: who we are is not defined just by the past, but by what we choose to build for the future,\u201d said Ruffini.<\/p>\n
\n\tMoncler was founded in 1952 in Monestier-de-Clermont, and the mountains are not only the brand\u2019s physical birthplace but are also symbolic of its goal to aim higher, Ruffini, an avid skier himself, has often said.<\/p>\n
\n\tOver the years the Moncler reset has gone through cycles, first collaborating with fashion designers starting with Junya Watanabe for fall 2004, followed a year later by Balenciaga, which at the time was designed by Nicolas Ghesqui\u00e8re.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn 2006, Moncler launched Gamme Rouge with Giambattista Valli, followed in 2009 by Gamme Bleu by Thom Browne, with fashion shows in Paris and Milan until 2017, contributing to strengthen a sartorial culture, materials research and the brand\u2019s luxury positioning.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI felt Moncler needed to clear out of the sportswear category and the all-wholesale distribution and enter into the fashion and luxury world. These collaborations and the shows helped elevate the brand and the product, and provided legitimacy and access to retail,\u201d he said, admitting that \u2014 always practical \u2014 higher margins in luxury were a draw, also wanting to stay away from discounting. \u201cQuality and style were priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThere is one thing Ruffini tries to stay away from \u2014 boredom \u2014 and the different iterations of Moncler have helped serve this purpose, and \u201cfor sure I don\u2019t want our customers to lose interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tCue the launch of Moncler Genius in February 2018, a new business model and strategy that involved a series of drops and capsules with designers ranging from Pierpaolo Piccioli and Simone Rocha to Jonathan Anderson and Craig Green to name a few, \u201callowing freedom in creativity, but always in a conversation with Moncler,\u201d Ruffini underscored.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tMoncler Genius X JW Anderson RTW fall 2020.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAITOR ROSAS SUNE\/WWD<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile continuing to build the core Moncler collection, which represents around 80 percent of sales, Ruffini has also been turning his attention to Moncler Grenoble, first launched in New York in 2010, where it showed for seven years.<\/p>\n
\n\tSince February 2024, it has been further developed as a high-performance line with spectacular fashion shows and brand experiences in the likes of Saint Moritz, Courchevel and Aspen, the latter reflecting high ambitions to expand in the U.S., where a sprawling two-floor, 23,000-square-foot Moncler flagship opened in Manhattan in September in the former FAO Schwarz. \u201cThis was not by chance, and it was a dream come true,\u201d said Ruffini.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve always had a strong connection with New York, my father lived in the city for years starting from 1968 and I used to visit often, as a child marveling at the size of everything, compared to Italy. The location is perfect, between Fifth and Madison avenues, and to me it\u2019s always been a point of reference over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tIt took three years to restructure the space and Ruffini turned to his go-to design studio for the interiors: Gilles & Boissier.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a great expression of the brand and to show the breadth of our categories and that we offer year-round propositions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tRemo Ruffini in the New York Moncler flagship.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Moncler<\/p>\n
\n\tRuffini did not dismiss working with department stores and wholesale accounts, despite changes in the landscape, especially in the U.S., which he said \u201chas improved. We still believe in wholesale, and I don\u2019t think there is any cannibalization with the opening of the flagship. The customers are different.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe U.S. market is increasingly important for luxury, it joins together different cultures, and there is a strong energy. The macro situation may be more confused, but I look at Moncler and there is room to grow,\u201d Ruffini continued.<\/p>\n
\n\tExcluding Stone Island, which is also part of the Moncler Group, Moncler sales last year amounted to 2.72 billion euros.<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter the Moncler Grenoble event in Aspen, the brand will stage its next show in the Swiss Engadin Valley on Feb. 6 next year, but Ruffini is still mulling the details.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI want to create a fairy tale, and I want it to be different from the previous events. I start from an idea, never the location,\u201d which is still to be finalized and revealed.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tMoncler Grenoble in Aspen.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGiovanni Giannoni<\/p>\n
\n\tMoncler Grenoble represents a double-digit percentage of sales and is today the brand that is growing fastest within the group.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs for the next step for Moncler Genius, following the last monumental event in Shanghai in October 2024, with collaborations with Jil Sander and Willow Smith, Ruffini said, \u201cit\u2019s in my head, but I don\u2019t have a project or a precise date, I have to understand its maturity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cMature\u201d was also a term Ruffini applied to his decision to relinquish his role as group chief executive officer to Leo Rongone in April. Ruffini, who has maintained creative direction responsibilities and is executive chairman of the group, explained that the move, within \u201ca company of this size,\u201d allowed him to focus on product, creativity, marketing and retail \u2014 clearly activities in his veins.<\/p>\n
\n\tHe spearheaded the company through a successful public listing in Milan in 2013 to allow the exit of its private equity backers, Eurazeo, The Carlyle Group and Progressio Investimenti, and Ruffini has never looked back. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cDespite the volatility it\u2019s a very beautiful experience, it has helped us to be very organized and structured in all areas, we have gotten to know investors from around the world and have interesting exchanges with them. But I have never forced things, never pushed for consensus. I work with a long-term view for the brand, to create value for it and this has paid back so far,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tLessons well learned indeed. <\/p>\n
#Monclers #Journey #Global #Luxury #Powerhouse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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