In conversation with ALESSIO PULEO
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Alessio Puleo
For over a year he has been in charge of the development and expansion of the Brand Management department as Group Marketing Director at Marcolin. We met Alessio Puleo, a manager with a great experience in the eyewear industry, as well as many new challenges ahead of him in 2024.
To sum up the past year: what tools were implemented to support the growth of Marcolin’s brand portfolio globally?
«2023 was an amazing year: Marcolin continued the renovation path started in 2020, which allowed us to improve all the financial indicators. We signed a perpetual licensing agreement with TOM FORD Eyewear, finalized the acquisition of the German brand ic! berlin, entered a new partnership with MCM, and renewed the licensing agreement with Pucci, which is part of LVMH Group and a key brand for us. At this very moment, if I had to define our brand portfolio with two words, I would say: balanced and complementary. Balanced because our portfolio covers all the market clusters and customer needs; complementary because each brand has its own unique role and there is no risk of brands overlapping».
„Our portfolio covers all the market clusters and customer needs”.
In this “hot” period of renewals, how do you approach licenses?
«In the first few months of 2024, we renewed some strategic license agreements for the Group, such as the ones with GCDS, ZEGNA and MAX&Co., and announced the debut in the eyewear segment of an iconic luxury brand such as Christian Louboutin. This was made possible thanks to our unique approach, which goes well beyond the typical licensor-licensee relationship: we consider our licensed brands as strategic partners with whom we can build long-term projects based on value creation, where brand equity is the fundamental principle that guides our daily actions. Our partners also appreciate Marcolin’s unique ability to transpose their brand’s DNA into collections. And, last but not least, our manufacturing know-how allows us to create objects of extremely high quality».
„Our partners also appreciate Marcolin’s unique ability to transpose their brand’s DNA into collections“.
What are the key targets for 2024? Should we expect any new entries or news?
«2024 will be an intense year in which we will strengthen the growth of our historic brands and finalize the launch of MCM for FW24 and of Christian Louboutin for SS25.”
