Malo
Malo is one of the brands of the group Manifatture Associate Cashmere, founded in 1972, by the entrepreneurial brothers Giacomo and Alfredo Canessa. In the 1970s and 1980s, it established a growing presence, particularly in Italy.
From 1990 onwards, the company sought to increase its export trade by opening commercial branches in strategic markets (New York, Düsseldorf, Paris, Tokyo). At the same time, the company began to open a series of flagship stores aimed at promoting the brand’s image: currently it has 17 commercial outlets in cities and holiday destinations in Europe and the United States. In 1999, the company, one of the global leaders in cashmere knitwear, was purchased by Itierre, a group from Molise.
The most recent history
The company, which joined It Holding in 1999, had two factories in Florence and Piacenza and a network of 26 own-brand stores.
Malo designed a line of sunglasses (two models, for men and women) at Mido. It was produced by Allison, also part of the It Holding group. An essentially classic design, the sunglasses have spherical pivots and inner frames in laminated gold. Each one is numbered and can be personalized with the owner’s initials.
The stylist Gianni Bugli, who had previously collaborated with Lacroix, Kenzo, and Versace, joined the knitwear group.
From Fall-Winter 2005/2006, Fabio Pinas, after five years experience with Brioni, became the company’s new creative director.
In 2007, the store in Via della Spiga was renovated and, alongside the Malo collections, works by some well-known artists, such as Giacomo Balla and Allen Jones, were exhibited. In the same year, the inaugurations of the head quarters in Paris, Dubai and New York marked the turning point of the brand and its new strategies.
It Holding’s ownership phase ended with the Molise-based group’s collapse and sale to Italian company Evanthe. Then, in mid-2014, the company changes hands again with the entry of Quadro capital partners. This management ends with the request for arrangement with creditors in September 2017 and the declaration of bankruptcy in June of the following year.
The new owners
In 2018, Malo was finally acquired by a group of Italian entreprenueurs: Walter Maiocchi, Luigino Belloni and Bastian Mario Stangoni. With these new owners, the company restarted after a period of decline. The goal, achieved, was to relaunch the brand with a new collection, presented at Alta Roma and Pitti Immagine. The next step was to reopen the New York showroom and the revalorization of the main foreign markets, Japan, Europe, Russia and Monte Carlo. Then, in December 2019, the e-commerce site was launched.
The new Malo projects for sustainability
The company is focusing a lot on projects concerning sustainability. They want to create products that last long. Malo offers a service called ‘MALO FOREVER’ with the opportunity to regenerate the garments. This translates into giving new life to the brand’s items made from cashmere, wool and natural fibers of any age. Craftsmen carefully examine each garment, repair it where necessary, wash it carefully, and finally shave it to remove the “pellets” created by use.
Another project is that of Monsai, a line of hats made with revalued yarns. The name comes from the fusion of the words Malo and Bonsai. The peculiarity of this line is the use of cashmere yarns close to the core of the spool.
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