Named after a mountain in Italy, Peuterey started as a sportswear company in 1996, but has gradually moved to down jackets and fur products. Chen Jie reports.

Chen Jie

If he had not became a fashionista, Fabio Piazza would perhaps have gone into soccer.

"I was born in Milan, and we have a culture of fashion and soccer," Piazza, 39, tells China Daily.

The newly appointed Asia-Pacific CEO of Italian fashion brand Peuterey, was in Beijing recently to introduce its 2016 fall/winter collection.

Piazza says he played soccer for 21 years, from age 8 to 28. And at 17, he had a chance to join a professional team.

"I had to make a decision. I love soccer but I also wanted to go to university and see the wider world."

His higher studies finally led him to the fashion business, and the job also fulfilled his dream of seeing the world.

He worked with Giorgio Armani for eight years, and then spent four with Dirk Bikkembergs, moving from Japan to India to New Zealand.

The job even helped him find his wife, whom he met at a fashion show in Milan, where she worked as a model.

They now have a 1-year-old daughter and the family has relocated to Shanghai after he joined Peuterey.

Piazza's rich experience in the Asia-Pacific region convinced the family-owned company Peuterey to let him take care of its business interests.

Named after a mountain in the Mont Blanc range in Italy, Peuterey was founded in 1996 as a sportswear company. But it has gradually specialized in down jackets and fur products.

It entered China three years ago with a flagship store at the Shanghai Kerry Center.

Peuterey, which aims to expand globally, named Piazza its Asia-Pacific CEO in January, with Federico Curradi as its new creative director.

Piazza brought to the Beijing Peuterey Studio a premium line designed by Curradi. The line, which was shown at the Milan Men's Fashion Week in January, targets people who live and work in fast-paced cities.

It includes a transeasonal segment to cater to damp, chilly weather. This includes a slim-fit duster coat with hidden buttons and the short asphalt gray wool double-breasted jacket with a double collar.

The men's collection also features sunset hues that are toned down for the soft waterproof flannel-filed jacket with a military vibe and four flap patch pockets, and for the double felt coat with a narrow regimental collar and uniform details on the sleeves.

In the women's segment, the tweed stroller coat has a completely detachable padded lining to adapt to the changing seasons, while the deconstructed boucle jackets are cinched at the waist with belts.

There is also the rain - and wind-proof burgundy color-block duffle coat and oversized parkas in narrow gauge cotton corduroy.

Speaking of why he entered Peuterey, Piazza says he joined the company not only because it is a smaller firm - compared with the brand he worked for previously - which means faster decision-making, but more importantly because he sees potential in the brand.

In Europe, there are several brands specializing in down jackets and fur products of the same level, but sometimes only one is known to Chinese customers, he says.

"That give us an opportunity to achieve market share. We don't aim to be the market leader but we can do well here.

"We have a very strong collection. We use high-quality fabric, the best zippers, the best buttons and many other details. What we need to do in Asia is to raise the brand's awareness," he says.

The Chinese love Italian brands. It's a very important market and at this moment China's customers are looking for new Italian products. So it's a good opportunity for Peuterey, he says.

To achieve his goal, he plans to do more promotions on WeChat and Weibo and spend more time on promoting e-commerce.

"The new generation of Chinese spend 60-70 percent of their time on their mobile phones."

Meanwhile, he is looking for the right Chinese partners and hoping to work with local celebrities.

As for the economy, he says that while many people say China's economic growth is slowing, it's still double that of many countries, and has more potential.

Speaking of high-end rivals in the Chinese market, he says: "It's our opportunity when top brands like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton lose share."

Sharing his observations after 12 years of being in Asia, he says he finds young Chinese are looking to buy new brands, and Chinese customers are becoming more sophisticated.

Peuterey's target is men in the 20-45 age group and women who want good products, good materials and high-end fashion - not just brand names.

"New generations want something different from their parents. Of course, Italy, Japan and the US are the most sophisticated markets in terms of fashion. They have a culture of fashion. And there's still a long way to go for Chinese customers. But the younger generations here are more open to brands, and they look up the trends on the internet. They travel abroad and see what their friends are wearing."

As for the new design boss, the 40-year-old Curradi's career started with an apprenticeship at a Florentine tailoring shop that dates back to the 16th century.

Then, after moving to New York in his early 20s, he created collections that won appreciation from some of Manhattan's top fashion retailers.

Later, armed with the secrets of Italian craftsmanship and the vision of a trendy new world, he worked as the head of men's collections at Roberto Cavalli and Iceberg.

Contact the writer at chenjie@chinadaily.com.cn

Fabio Piazza, the new Asia－Pacific CEO of Italian fashion brand Peuterey. Photos Provided To China Daily

Models present Peuterey's 2016 fall/winter collection at a Beijing runway show.

(China Daily USA 04/22/2016 page10)