Fashion Box

Italian clothing company with headquarters in Asolo (Treviso). The business is directed by Claudio Buziol. In 2002, the turnover was €251 million, roughly even with the previous year. Some 70% of that came from exports. In September 2003, a maxi-space was opened on Corso Venezia in Milan for the sale of all the brands belonging to the group: Replay, Replay & Sons, E-Play, and Coca Cola Jeans Wear. A new line, We-R-Replay, made its début at Pitti Immagine Uomo in June 2003. It was a more modern casual collection for young men and women, with a goal of 100,000 pieces for the first Spring-Summer 2004 collection, launched on an international level. The production was artisanal in quality for shirts, T-“shirts, and trousers, with prints and embroidery inspired by the world of motorbikes. There were also fancy patterns in an ’80s style with Hawaiian, floral, palm, iguana, and butterfly prints. The new collection was a substitute for E-Play, which in the meantime had been moved to the prêt-à-porter division and thus fell under the management of Knit Box of Carpi. The distribution system includes 4,000 traditional points-of-sale, supported by 200 single-brand boutiques that present the company’s image in all the fashion capitals of the world. Fashion Box is also interested in Brazil. In autumn 2003, the company opened a single-brand shop named Replay in San Paulo where a subsidiary, Fashion Box Brazil, had already been operating for a short time, making sweatshirts, T-shirts, and jeans. The new company was created to serve South America, but it could also serve Europe. At the moment, the Fashion Box collections are produced by third parties in Italy, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean area, and in the Far East. Another attractive market for the company is Japan. Following an agreement with the Japanese firm Hero International, a single-brand Replay store was opened in Tokyo, to be followed by three more.
In January, Claudio Buziol, the founder, dies prematurely. The new company structure will have 90% of the shares in the hands of his wife and two children, with the remaining 10% going to the two general managers, Marco Bortoletti and Attilio Biancardi, the vice-president.