PAOLO CANALI – A PROFILE

Posted on 09. Jun, 2009 by admin in Latest News, Our Labels

In the private, wood-panelled and richly appointed Yorkshire Room at their Collins Street flagship store, Henry Bucks managing director Tim Cecil sits with Paolo Canali to talk about their passion for quality clothing and the trusting relationship that has developed between these two multi generational family companies.

It has taken Paolo, Marketing Director of Canali S.p.A, 15 years to visit Australia, but the relationship between the two men is close. Henry Bucks was the first menswear retailer to bring the Canali collection to Australia in 1993 and has enjoyed a genuine friendship with this third generation family company for more than 15 years.          by Chris Beck

The two also share a love of fine food and wine, which has been nurtured by Tim’s twice yearly visits to the Canali factory in Italy for exclusive seasonal previews of the Canali collections.

“We are the first people to see the Winter and Summer collections – before they begin selling to the rest of the world,” Tim says, “They want to know what we think. Afterwards Paolo and I have dinner and travel by train together to Florence for the Pitti Immagine Uomo, the premier exhibition of Italian and international men’s clothing”

It was in 1934 that the brothers Giovanni and Giacomo Canali founded a tailoring workshop dedicated to the making of high quality clothing. Its presence and consistently fine products began to influence the Italian menswear design market in the 1950’s as the family entered its second generation. By the mid 1970’s, the firm had opened its doors to foreign buyers, and exports today account for 75% of Canali’s daily production of 1400 suits, 1600 pairs of trousers, shirts, ties, jackets and accessories.

Now in its third generation, Canali today has seven centres of production in Italy all connected with its design and administrative headquarters at Sovico, near Milan. In this world where many brands are manufactured on a multi-national basis, every Canali garment is tailored and produced in Italy.

“We are an exception even in the Italian industry because more and more companies are making under contract or in their own factories outside Italy,” Paolo says, “It has always been our philosophy to make 100 per cent of our production in our factories all located in Italy.

It is a policy, a statement, and there are also some very good reasons because once you base a business model on quality you have to have a tight quality control. You have to be there.”

Paolo, 45, has three children with his wife Giovanna. His father Eugenio Canali is CEO of the company. Paolo’s eldest child, Lorenzo, 14, will soon be working in the factory and assessing his passion for the clothing business. “I think it’s important to let my son start feeling the working aspect – that life is not just school and fun. I think 16 is a good age to start working in a warehouse, at least in his free time.”

“We are very proud to still be a family company. Sempre in Famiglia – always in the family. It’s about values – dealing with people you trust and who will be with you for many years of course and this is much more effective.”

Sempre in Famiglia for Henry Bucks, too, a multi-generational family business now in its fifth generation of management and ownership since Mr. Henry Buck OBE started the business in 1890. Like Paolo, Tim Cecil prefers to work with family companies, as they represent similar values to his own when it comes to quality and integrity.

In a time when fashionable labels often have more importance than the product, Tim Cecil maintains what may seem an “old fashioned” stance. “I’m not impressed by designer labels; I’m more impressed by product; quality, make and fit. Sometimes the labels live up to that and sometimes they don’t. For decades, we sold mostly English clothing; then we looked at Italian makers because we believed that they were doing it all so much better than the British. They were investing in machinery, fabrics and tailoring, and they had real design flair as well.

Canali stands for tailoring, taste and Italian tradition, all of which add up to quality. Every single garment is exclusively designed and produced in Italy, to the most strict tailoring standards. Canvas in suits, jackets and overcoats is always sewn in the old fashioned manner, and never fused.

The company styling team creates and develops patterns that exhibit innovative design yet perfect fit. Advanced technology and craftmanship both contribute to the excellence of the manufacturing process. On one side, the use of the more and more sophisticated automatic cutting systems gives each garment a perfect consistency; on the other, the precise hand-sewing of detail finishings ensures that each product honors the quality of the materials, design, and cut.

Canali has also woven strong ties with the American motion picture industry. Their reputation in movies has been building ever since Gene Hackman wore the imposing charcoal double-breasted business suit in The Firm in 1993. Nicolas Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and George Clooney also starred in Canali, the latter appearing immaculately tailored in the recent thriller Michael Clayton. “We have started to look at ways to make the Canali brand well-known all around the world, Paolo says, “With movies, especially Hollywood movies they are the most international medium”

Established in 52 stores in China, Canali has moved into the expanding luxury market where for thirty years the austere Mao jacket reigned supreme and compulsory. “It is more casual oriented market,” Paolo says, “With a learning experience consumers are starting to better appreciate tailored clothing. It is a very young market; it only started ten years ago. They wear polo shirts and cotton trousers, no ties. Now from a western point of view we can see they are getting more sophisticated and wearing more suits with a tie.”

There has been a move towards more casual clothing around the world. Canali does not drastically change the styling of a collection but there has been a continual evolution in their product range. They still use the traditional canvas – natural materials. Everything is stitched, not fused but suits are lighter, more luxurious with more comfortable, softer shoulders. “One of the long-term trends that we can see is that everything is becoming more casual and relaxed, fortunately with a high degree of sophistication,” Paolo says.

by Chris Beck

Tags: canali, collins street, flagship store, paolo canali, yorkshire room