Malta a snug fit in group’s internationalisation plans

At first glance, the name Harmont & Blaine could conjure up an image of an upmarket brand of super fine chocolates, an exquisite line of bone china or possibly an established firm of solicitors in a long running television series. As such, it will come quite as a surprise to all those who will learn that Harmont & Blaine is a success story in the world of fashion, a brand, Italian by the way, that is very popular among a growing set of discerning fashion forward conoscienti.

Harmont & Blaine has now set up a presence in Malta with its first shop in The Piazza in Tignè Point.

“Malta has been on Harmont & Blaine’s internationalisation plans for quite some time and in fact this strategy of foreign expansion has been the backbone of the brand’s successful growth throughout the past years. Therefore we are very proud and delighted that this opportunity to be the owners of this franchise came to us and we are hopeful in having an active role in this continued strategy towards more growth for Harmont & Blaine,” explains Maya Bonello, brand manager for Harmont & Blaine.

This international growth meant that from reported sales of €4.5m in 2001, Harmont & Blaine’s latest figures now indicate that the company is close to reaching the €55m.

As the brand’s founder and CEO, Domenico Menniti had stated in a past interview, “the history of Harmont & Blaine is the story of a family, its land with its colours and traditions. It is also the story of a dream to transform these colours, these traditions, this cultural heritage, into collections that are solidly grounded but at the same time healthily inclined towards the future and more innovation.”

Run by four brothers, Harmont & Blaine started in 1986 in Calabria as a venture producing hand-made leather gloves, typical of the Neapolitan tradition, moving on to ties and beachwear in the 1990s when it presented its first collection in 1995 in Capri, immediately establishing itself as a brand with a willingness to provoke, not much with regards to philosophy but on a more visual level.

Mr Menniti recalls how “we sat on a bench and decided how to come out of our own crisis. In a moment of minimalism and dark monochrome tints, we decided to offer colour to men’s wear.” In fact, while promoting an informal lifestyle, Harmond & Blaine’s character is mostly denoted by an incisive use of colour and contrast, multi-chromatic collections that yet remain coherent and consistent in their respect towards tradition.

The company has adopted the Dachshund dog as its logo – not by coincidence but with a clear purpose. “We are just like the dachshund dog that we use in our logo. Few Italians know that this dog is German and not British, it is used for hunting and due to its small size it has a very developed intelligence. In the same way, our company too had to make use of its intuition to assert itself in the competitive fashion market.”

Its location, more than 800km away from the glamorous catwalks of Milan, did not help Harmont & Blaine which is based in Caivano, near Naples even though the area is renowned for its stylish tailoring tradition where established names include tailor Rubinacci and luxury tie-maker Marinella.

“With roots from Calabria and a business in Naples, credibility at the beginning was a real issue. At trade fairs, suppliers used to tell us that they would not sell to us even if we paid in cash,” recalls Mr Menniti.

At a time when many Italian companies are outsourcing production abroad and traditional textile centres such as Prato in Tuscany are being taken over by Asian entrepreneurs, this small, family-run business is finding success in swimming against the tide. More than 90% of its products are made in Campania, in the Naples and Benevento areas. Knitwear is produced in Calabria and cashmere products in the Umbrian city of Perugia. The majority of the textiles used are Italian with some from Austria.

Of course, whoever doubted the company was proven wrong. After having opened its first flagship store in 2000 in Frattamaggiore, outside Naples, Harmont & Blaine went on to develop a retail chain of around 60 outlets. The company today employs over 170 employees, enjoying and acquired status as well as a reputation leveraged by a very well known testimonial – football icon Fabio Cannavaro, also a Neapolitan, who led Italy to its 2006 World Cup victory over France.

The company’s focus remains further expansion throughout the emerging markets. This strategy has already taken the brand to central America, Russia, the Middle East and China while near future plans also include Morocco, Dubai, Macao and Hong Kong. In Europe, a new flagship store is due to open in Barcelona (following the 465sqm one inaugurated in Madrid) and talks are on for the opening of its London store in Brompton Road, expected for spring 2012.