Miroglio
Italian textile company. The group from Piedmont has been one of the most important in establishing the leadership of Italian-made fashion products. Founded in Alba in 1947, it began as a warehouse for textiles in bulk. Today, the company is still firmly in the hands of the same family (at the end of 1998, Franco Miroglio handed over the reigns to his children, Edoardo and Nicoletta), which, from one generation to the next, has extended its production base to include clothing. The group is split into two divisions: Miroglio Textiles and, since 1955, Vestebene (prêt-à-porter for men and women). It has global exports and roughly 40 factories spread across Italy, France, Greece, Tunisia, Egypt, and countries in the East. Above all, it produces viscose and cupro fabrics, and artificial discontinuous fibers similar to cotton fibers. The staple of Miroglio’s synthetic fabrics is continuous fiber polyester, made of uninterrupted threads, cut and used like a carded textile. Defined as an intelligent fiber, when mixed with others it has a positive effect on all forms of manufacture. It can be machine washed, it has stable dimensions and can be produced without pollution. Chemically safe, it is also used to make water bottles. It requires special, automatic machinery to dye it. It is also used for drainage under asphalt on motorways. In 1989, the group began to acquire other textile and clothing companies in France, Germany, Spain, and Great Britain. This development increased Miroglio’s turnover to 1.4 trillion lire in 1997.
&Quad;2001, November. Motivi, Mirogli’s youth line, debuted on TV, with an advert created by the Emanuele Pirella agency.
&Quad;2002, September. Miroglio Espana’s business was worth roughly 30 million euros.
&Quad;2002, November. Opening of the London store. Currently, there are 140 across Europe.
&Quad;2002, March. The Miroglio Group and Mariuccia Mandelli sign an agreement for the creation of the Per te Aktive brand, by Krizia, for oversized young women. It is the natural extension of the Per te by Krizia line designed by Mariuccia Mandelli and produced and distributed by Vestebene-Miroglio for more than 14 years. The launch was planned for Spring-Summer 2003. The use of “k” in the brand name underlines Miroglio and the designer’s focus on women who weigh several kilos extra.
&Quad;2002, October. A few days before his 80th birthday, Carlo Miroglio, president of the group, was award the honor Cavaliere di Gran Croce. The head of the froup since 1954, he has been active in the company for over 60 years, together with his brother, Franco. Now into the third generation of the family, in 2001 the company had a turnover of 824 million euros and employs more than 6,900 staff.
&Quad;2003, February. The Miroglio Group’s results increased: 2002 closed with a turnover of 882 million euros (6.6% higher than the previous year) and a gross operating margin of 99.6 million euros (up 33.7%). Exports were stable at 18% of the business’s total. For the first time, clothing takes the lead over textiles with 471 million euros (up 10.8%). In 2002, 115 new stores were opened for the four clothing brands, Motivi, Oltre, Elena Mirò, and Caractère, making a total of 556.
&Quad;2003, June. Continuing growth of Elena Mirò, the Vestebene-Miroglio brand for oversized women. By the end of 2002 the number of shops in Europe had risen to 143.