The following biography contains information on Fashion Designer Gianfranco Ferre.

BIOGRAPHY

------------------------------------------------------------------- || The Past & Present || Products || Economics || Address || ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Past and the Present Fashion Designer Gianfranco Ferre was born on 15 August 1944 in Legnano, in northern Italy. He received a degree in architecture in 1969. Ferre began his fashion career in 1970 by designing accessories, then worked as a raincoat designer in 1972-74. He started his own company in 1974 (Baila-label) and launched his signature collection for women in 1978. His first men's collection appeared in 1982, followed in 1986 by his first couture collection in Rome. Ferre became Stylistic Director of Christian Dior in Paris in 1989, when he was chosen by owner Bernard Arnault to replace Marc Bohan. In 1996, it was announced that Ferre would end his engagement with Dior with the Spring 1997 collection for the label. His own label is more relaxed and practical than Dior, with functional pockets and no big hats. Ferre appears to be extremely critical of trends and fashion gimmicks. He deals with his demanding schedule, being responsible for a French top fashion brand and his own Italian label by commuting between Milan and Paris in his private plane. Ferre has a lakeside home in beautiful Lake Maggiore, near Milan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Selected Products * Forma Zero by GFF * Oaks by Ferre, a sporty line for women * Ferrejeans (for men and women) * Studio .0001 * GFF, the bridge line of Ferre ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Selected Awards * Occhio d'Oro Award (six times) for Best Italian Designer * Gold Medal from the City of Milan * Commendatore del Ordine decoration from the President of the Italian Republic * De d'Or (Golden Thimble Award) for his first Dior haute couture collection (1989) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Economic Data Ownership The Gianfranco Ferre S.p.A. is the holding company that coordinates the fashion business of the Ferre label. It is owned by Gianfranco Ferre (Creative Director) and Franco Mattioli (Chief Financial Officer) in equal shares. Recently, Ferre announced that the group plans to become listed at the Milan stock exchange in 1999. In order to prepare for this movement Ferre started to rearrange the holding significantly. First step was the recruitment of experiened management personnel under the guide of Giuseppe Cipriano. Next step is the reduction of the number of subsidiaries from today 21 to four or five in the future. Another move is the acquisition of the apparel producer Dei Matttioli, which is owned by Franco Mattioli. Ferre also seems to be interested in acquiring some of his contractors, in order to have more control over the production. Performance The company achieved total sales of 950 billion Lira ($589 million) in 1994, an increase of 15% over 1993, which had shown enjoyed a similar increase over 1992 sales. Ferre's 14 licences contributed 58% to total sales in 1994. In 1996, total sales were already at 1250 billion Lira ($811 million). Exports 70% of Ferre sales are achieved in export, where the US appears to be the biggest market with growing importance. Italy still holds 20% of the sales, but the success of the Ferre Jeans business in the US seems to shift the focus here. The Studio .0001 by Ferre line, produced by Italian garment manufacturer Marzotto, is basically targeted at the US market. Distribution Ferre distributes in 17 exclusive boutiques worldwide (1994) and has over 250 sales points in total. Production/ Licenses Studio .0001 and Forma O is produced by Marzotto, one of the biggest Italian garment manufacturers. The sportswear collections Oaks by Ferre and Ferrejeans used to be manufactured by Italiana Manifatture S.p.A., but recently Ferre contracted those lines for the next ten years to Ittiere, who also furnish the bridge collections of Dolce&Gabbana, Verace, and others. The range of licenced products is wide, including shoes, stationary, luggage, home furnishings, and perfumes. The latest addition to this list is the license given to the Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Address Headquarters Via della Spiga, 19 20121 Milan, Italy Tel.: (+02) 784460 FAX.: (+02) 782007 Press Office Rita Airaghi Via Sant Andrea 18 20121 Milan, Italy Tel.: (+02) 76021095 FAX.: (+02) 76003778 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Selected Boutiques Milan Boutiques Via della Spiga, 11 20121 Milan, Italy Tel.: (+02) 794864 (women's) Tel.: (+02) 76000385 (men's) GFF: Corso Venezia, 2 20121 Milan, Italy London Boutique 84, Brompton Road London SW3, Great Britain Tel.: (+0171) 581 8736 New York Boutique 845 Madison Aveneue New York, N.Y.10021-4908, U.S.A. Tel.: (+212) 717-5430 Paris Boutique 25, rue Cambon Paris, France ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editorial provided by Jost Krebs

RUNWAY SHOWS
Gianfranco Ferre W

COMPANY PROFILE
Gianfranco Ferre

JOB TITLES
Designer

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