Enzo degli Angiuoni. Home textiles Made in Italy

Interview with  André Pesaresi – CEO Enzo degli Angiuoni

ENZO DEGLI ANGIUONI S.P.A. – Italian company founded in 1981, headquartered in Garbagnate Monastero, near Lecco, Enzo degli Angiuoni is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end interior decoration textiles.

Enzo degli Angiuoni (Eda) is a well-known reference in the world of interior decoration textiles and now also of outdoor, contract, and apparel fabrics. How was Enzo degli Angiuoni born and which are the milestones in the company’s history? 

We are the leader and the main brand in the world of high-end home textiles Made in Italy manufacturing. Our story begins in 1981, with the foundation of the company by Enzo Angiuoni, The determination, the creativity, and the farsighted vision of the founder and his wife Maria Adele Cappelli, Creative Director, made the difference and allowed us to emerge and become stronger along the years as a well-known and market appreciated reality of the Italian textile.

An important moment in the history of Eda was the 1985 when our headquarter was established in Garbagnate Monastero (near Lecco), a location designed by the architect Antonio Citterio, that hosts both the administration, commercial and creative offices, and the one devoted to weaving, jacquard textiles, ratière and velvet fabrics.

A winning feature of Eda is the early opening to the world and the international dynamism right from the beginning. We were already present outside of Italy, with the opening of the first sales offices in Paris and London, in times when Italian textile companies were still very unwilling to invest outside of the national borders. Nowadays, the majority of Italian textile businessmen invests abroad, but Enzo degli Angiuoni made was there before the others, with all the risks that such a bet implied at the time and this farsightedness allows us to have now a well known and strong brand all over Europe and America in the field of high-end furniture. This reputation, also allows us – since four years – to be on the market also as manufacturers of textiles for apparel, accessories, and fashion, trying also in these fields to offer 100% Made in Italy original solutions.

Around 80% of Enzo degli Angiuoni’s production is meant for export. Which are the most interesting countries and markets for you? How have you faced and managed from a sales point of view the Covid emergency, that reduced travels and links all over the world?

Besides Italy, the markets that are historically more relevant for us are England, France, Germany and USA. We will try to grow further on these markets, but our strategic plan at this moment is to “conquer” also the Asian and in particular the Chinese markets that, for our sector represent the markets of the future, how America was thirty years ago.

In the year of the pandemic, we never stood still, we got ready to face the restart in the best possible way, reducing the production cycles and strengthening our staff. We have people that work with us for decades, sometimes joined by their children, and this is a very good sign because it means that in Eda you work well and in recent years, we created a good work environment with a very close team. Now, it is important to strengthen this team and we are aware that these types of investment for a reality like ours are essential. In particular, the styling office makes the difference, because a successful Made in Italy today means originality, beauty, creativity, unique offerings.

That said, we also have to underline that Covid put a stress on a phenomenon which was already ongoing for a long time: with the increase of transport costs from China, together with the increase of production costs that inevitably many Chinese companies had to face the Chinese products cost a little bit more and for Italian (and European) companies new opportunities open up, also in the view of a lower dependency from China that European countries will have to pursue. We are still too dependent on China for a lot of basic components, this dependency will stay, but it has to be reduced. 

Hence, as Italian textile manufacturers, we have a lot of new paths in front of us – both from the point of view of the production for internal market and the export toward China – always keeping in mind that Made in Italy has to be highlighted in terms of quality and creativity of the offer, not focusing on low prices competition. But not only: speed and flexibility have to be nowadays the main features and the strengths of Italian textile industries. From this point of view, Covid 19 taught us that the European textile industry has to be like a speedboat, not like a cruise ship. 

Lastly, a wish rather than a declaration, , Covid should have taught us that it is fundamental to team up, creating partnerships among textile companies to save on supply and purchases.

How has the textile for interior design changed in the last years? How have the tastes, the esthetical approaches, and collection changed?

The most evident trend concerns the attention toward sustainability, which is a fundamental topic in the world of textile production. We believe in it and we are engaged for many years on this front that represents an ideal situation, t today this has become also a business need because in the high-end textile market, those who do not invest to make the production more sustainable lose competitiveness and customers.

Enzo degli Angiuoni got all the most important eco certifications, as the GOTS for the use of natural fibers from biological agriculture (textiles 100% made of organic cotton) and GRS certificates for the commitment in the use of recycled materials (textiles made 100% of recycled polyester or predetermined compositions). Furthermore, we aim more and more on Italian suppliers, both in order to support the Made in Italy trend and to shorten and make the production supply chain more sustainable.

As far as new trends in aesthetical and taste terms are concerned, a very strong trend in the last year and a half, dealing with the growth of both textiles for outdoor design, from the little balcony to the big garden, and the requests of plain fabrics, patterned fabrics, plaids, and beautiful and durable home products. The Pandemic, and all the anti-covid restrictions, clearly played a role in this desire to enhance the home environments but it is clear that after the Covid the focus will return to traveling and hence on hotels. We in Eda, from this point of view, have always worked very well also in the field of luxury hotels furniture, e.g. the Bulgari Resorts.

Enzo degli Angiuoni is a top brand in the textile district in Lecco which includes all the companies in the towns of Berzago, Bulciago, Costa Masnaga, Garbagnate Monastero, Nibionno, Rogeno, Sirone. How is this historical Italian textile district doing today, which are its strengths and weaknesses?

Lecco, even if less known than other names as Como, Prato, or Biella, has always been and still is one of the main textile districts, with important manufacturing competence and with high-quality production. Today unfortunately there are fewer companies than in the past, some shut down due to the crisis or difficulties in generation turnover, but those still on the market have lots of work and continue successfully a textile tradition authentically made in Italy.

As I said, I would like that the companies of the district would team up, creating synergies and playing as a team.