Sealup. Italian Fashion Since 1935

Interview with Enrico Herschmann (Production Director) and Filippo Chiesa (CEO)

SEALUP MILANO – An Italian fashion house founded in 1935 and known worldwide for its iconic raincoats and trench coats, as well as its peacoats, coats, parkas, and accessories. Sealup can rely on five facilities and production centers, all located in Lombardy: Lomazzo – Como (headquarters), Guanzate – Como (logistics center), Calusco D’Adda – Bergamo (production facility), Costa di Mezzate – Bergamo (production facility – Tomè Srl), Fontanella – Bergamo (cutting factory – Coupe de Luxe Srl).

In Milan, Sealup is present with the Flagship Store in Brera, and other stores are located in Genoa and Ponte Nizza (Pavia).

Sealup was founded in 1935 as a raincoat manufacturing house, and the company’s name derives from the fusion of the English word sea and the Milanese term lup (wolf). What aesthetic and technical characteristics must a Sealup Made in Italy raincoat possess, and what are the reasons – in terms of elegance and functionality – that have made it a fashion garment appreciated all over the world?

We are known and appreciated above all in Europe, the United States, and Japan, but we are obviously open to opportunities in other markets as well.

In terms of elegance, the high level of Sealup outerwear is the result of the constant reinterpretation of a prestigious archive that has ninety years of history behind it. The aesthetic key to our approach, which always seeks to blend tradition and innovation, lies today in an operation of reinterpretation of our iconic products, Made in Italy, in light of what I would define as the three souls of the Sealup brand:

1. Metropolitan outerwear with refined Milanese imprint

2. Peacoat in sailor wool cloth

3. Waterproof characteristics of the products.

In terms of quality and technical aspects, I believe that the excellence of Sealup’s proposal, which is aimed at the Luxury market, is always guaranteed by the high quality level of the natural fibers we use, from cottons to wools, with 100% Italian suppliers, with quality finishes, with anti-drop treatments of the fabrics that are certified and sustainable, with innovative manufacturing techniques, with the use of accessories (buttons, rivets, buckles) that are always up to the standard of the proposed garments.

Sealup currently has in its catalog – in addition to raincoats – a wide range of products, for men and women: peacoats, coats, parkas, accessories. What are Sealup’s flagship products and the most commercially successful proposals related to the brand?

We are a leader in the outerwear world, and today our flagship product is the peacoat, not only in terms of commercial success but also in terms of iconic status and recognizability. It is known within the industry that we produce the finest peacoat in the high-end segment.

Sealup has always collaborated, for collections and capsules, with major international designers (for example, an important collaboration was with Karl Lagerfeld) and boasts exceptional testimonials worldwide, including the First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the 1960s. In the company’s history, which products have been the most iconic, and what moments should be remembered?

We have always worked with the greatest designers, and we have always had high-level personalities in the world of cinema, culture and entertainment among our clientele. Recently, one of the most famous actresses in the world – but, of course, I cannot mention her name – came by to shop in our Brera store in Milan.

I should also add that the Sealup Group is a partner of some of the most prestigious international brands of Alta Moda: we manufacture blousons, jackets, down coats and other outerwear products for famous luxury brands. These items do not appear in the Sealup-branded catalog, but are produced by us for other fashion houses.

After the post-Covid rebound in 2021 and 2022, which induced great optimism among industry professionals, textile and fashion production in Italy and Europe faced a challenging phase in 2023 and 2024, with a production decline also driven by a slowdown in the luxury sector. What is the situation today, and what prospects are in sight for the coming years?

The general crisis in textiles, as well as the challenges in the luxury sector, are facts I would say known to all. We hope this trend can reverse, and we hope that textiles and fashion can resume growth as soon as possible.

That said, specifically regarding Sealup, we are experiencing a very positive phase for the direct distribution of products under our brand. We are in an expansion phase: in our Brera store in Milan, we saw a 20% increase in revenue over the past year; we recently opened a new store in Genoa, and we have a two-year plan (2025 – 2026) for the opening of new Sealup-branded stores.

Sealup is a fashion brand with direct management of the entire production chain. What are the advantages of internalizing production? And how has this process evolved in Sealup’s history?

Over the years, we have carried out a clear strategy of integrating all production phases, with the aim of streamlining the production chain, which is primarily linked to a synergistic, and therefore also economic advantage. But having production integrated in-house is also important in terms of quality control, the Made in Italy label, and the 100% Italian workforce.

This process of integration and production internalization accelerated significantly in Sealup after Covid, and today – in addition to our sites in Lomazzo (Como), Guanzate (Como), and Calusco d’Adda (Bergamo) – we have also developed a stake in Tomè Srl, which manages the Costa di Mezzate (Bergamo) facility, and created the joint venture Coupe de Luxe Srl, cutting factory in Fontanella (Bergamo), a state-of-the-art center equipped with Artificial Intelligence 5.0 fabric cutting machines.