Leather, penny loops and a pin on the heel
When a penny loafer becomes much more than just a shoe: the Gerard x Cuoio di Toscana capsule collection tells a story of identity, craftsmanship and heritage through every detail.
Keep reading...Research remains in Tuscany, production is strengthened in Asia: Italian quality standards at competitive costs.
There is a common thread (but also many other colours and in the most literal sense) that starts in the Tuscan hills and reaches the Province of Guangdong. A thread that enters the raw factory and comes out as finished fabric, ready to become the upper part of a shoe or the surface of a bag. LENZI Egisto® by FF has made this journey not only real, but — with the new Enping site — even more scalable.
Since 2008, the subsidiary GVT has been operating in Guangzhou with a specific goal: to produce fabrics designed in Italy locally. This is not just any old relocation. It is a model where the design brain remains in Tuscany and the competitive hands work in Asia under entirely Italian management.
The excellent results achieved by GVT have led to the expansion of the business. The new factory, which has been operational since January, covers more than 8,000 square metres and will be formally inaugurated on 14 April. The turning point is complete vertical integration: yarn in, finished fabric out. No subcontractors, no opaque supply chain. Quality and confidentiality.
The departments cover the entire range: from Jacquard fabrics to PU Tek®, to REVO KNIT — a new generation of orthogonal fabrics with a 3D knit effect. The latter respond to the demand for innovative textures in footwear design: the aesthetics of knitwear on an industrially workable structure. Research and development remain in Tuscany, at the FF parent company.
“Italian fabrics and quality control at Asian prices”: GVT’s motto sums up the aim of the project in six words.
