Luxury fashion production specialist Florence Group buys Manifatture Cesari

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jun 10, 2021

Florence Group, created in October 2020 by investment funds VAM Investments, Fondo Italiano d’Investimento and Italmobiliare, is broadening its scope. The group defines itself as the “leading manufacturing hub for luxury apparel in Italy,” serving the best names in high-end fashion, and has announced the acquisition of Manifatture Cesari, an Italian producer specialised in jersey fabrics.

Manifatture Cesari was founded by Stefano Romolini and Erika Cesari in Città di Castello, in Italy’s central region of Umbria, in 1988. It is active across the entire spectrum of jersey manufacturing, from product design to garment production, including fabric weaving, printing and decoration. Manifatture Cesari controls three other companies, Romolini Srl and Max Conf Srl for garment manufacturing, and Red Pixel Srl for the decoration of finished products. Altogether, Manifatture Cesari has more than 100 employees, and its facilities extend over an area of 7,000 m2.

“The operation was financed through a share capital increase and further investment in Florence Group by the Romolini family,” stated the group in a press release, without disclosing any figures.

Manifatture Cesari joins up with the three long-established, Tuscany-based textile manufacturers that together have spawned Florence Group - Giuntini SpA (outerwear and light fabrics), Ciemmeci Fashion Srl (leather products and fur) and Mely’s Maglieria Srl (knitwear)- while the Romolini family is now a shareholder in the group, joining the ranks of the other founding families that altogether own a 35% stake in it.

“With this company, specialised in the production and treatment of jersey fabrics, we have added a partner that is key for our initial goal of being able to cover the entire range of product categories a fashion collection typically consists of,” said former Bulgari and LVMH director Francesco Trapani, president of Florence Group, which is led by Attila Kiss.
 
The group “aims to create a leading platform, at a global level too, for the supply of made-in-Italy products manufactured to the highest standards for the world’s most renowned labels,” said Trapani. However, Florence Group does not see itself simply as a manufacturing hub. “Through its use of innovative methodologies and digital machinery,” the group aims also to be “a centre for creative know-how and advanced production capabilities.”