Mantero is expecting a booming future after the Chanel investment
After coming on board in 2000, the new generation has also emphasized the environment, recently installing huge new machines to wash silk rolls after printing in order to better maintain color.
'We used to use 180 liters to make a single square meter of silk, but now we have got that below 50 liters,' stresses Franco, noting that Mantero produces over two million linear meters annually.
Some of these appeared in the latest Chanel cruise collection, a Romy Schneider movie-star glamour show staged Tuesday night at Villa d'Este on Lake Como. The models' haircuts mimicked Schneider's messy boudoir look. The stars perched around metal tables on the sunny terraces of the legendary hotel.
Explaining the thinking behind the investment, Chanel's president of fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, says: 'We have worked with Mantero every single year for over a half-century, together developing exceptional products. Today, the situation is such that neither Lucia nor Franco has heirs. So, the question has to be asked—what will happen with one of the most beautiful Italian manufacturers if there is an accident tomorrow morning? That's why we want to be present and help. This is not about control. The investment needed to create Mantero's exceptional silk is very high. So, we can help with that to guarantee Mantero makes the best prints, using less electricity and polluting less, while still making money.'
Business may be tricky in luxury, but Mantero expects a double-digit gain in 2025 turnover to over €100 million. It's essentially a B-to-B business that sells less than 3% of its own branded products online, as much for marketing research as revenue.
Like Chanel—a company noted for its discretion—the Mantero siblings remain silent when asked to name other brands they work with. However, one couldn't help noticing that their archive included a whole section labeled Cartier. And, upon exiting the plant, a huge machine was spilling out meters of silk printed with ' Louis Vuitton Marque Déposés.'
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