Latest news with #Piedmont-based
Fashion Network
11 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Basicnet expands Sebago lifestyle, celebrates century of the Superga 2750
Basicnet is turbocharging Sebago 's lifestyle expansion and is celebrating a century of the Superga 2750 with an unprecedented model homage to the brand's roots. The centennial shoe celebrates a return to the essence of Superga, as the Piedmont-based group's CEO Lorenzo Boglione explained from the Pitti booth. The result is a "restricted version compared to previous ones, in terms of volume and quantity of product. We tried to elevate it, make it more refined and perhaps closer to the Superga that survives in the memory of our most loyal customers," said Boglione. The newly appointed CEO of Basicnet, a position he has held with his brother Alessandro since last May, confirmed investments in Sebago apparel. "Shoes have been the driver of the brand's success over the past 6-7 years since we took it over. The idea is to continue to grow by telling the Sebago world in its entirety. That's how apparel was born, which today is a very fast-growing business at a time when the market is not easy," Boglione continued. During the press conference at Fortezza da Basso, Boglione Jr. reiterated the importance of the trade fair system for doing business today. "It is often said that trade shows are a legacy of the past. I believe there is no better place than a fair like Pitti to see and exchange opinions and ideas. We hope it will remain relevant for a long time because comparing is certainly the best way to start the season," noted Basicnet's CEO. Behind the development of both Basicnet brands is the painstaking work of their global brand manager, Marco Tamponi. "Sebago has experienced the moccasin phenomenon, which is growing along with the boat shoe phenomenon. With the clothing, we want to compact the preppy Ivy League culture in which the brand has its roots and push it into the contemporary. And we do this while respecting the cultural context to which Sebago belongs, which has created one of the canons of menswear, but without coming across as vintage," said Tamponi, since last February appointed to the creative, strategic, and international development direction of the American brand born in 1946, in Maine. An ever-expanding range that from this June will be enriched by a bar of soap resulting from a new collaboration between Sebago and a U.S. company. "The soap bar will have a rope to recall the soap used in boats that hung on the hook, then used in American universities by students who hung it in their lockers after showering between classes," the manager explained For the near future, Sebago already has other still top-secret collaborations on track that demonstrate the brand's ability to expand its boundaries beyond the shoe business. "I often walk into wonderful stores and don't buy the core product. In our flagships and wholesale distribution, Sebago has to show a depth of exploration that goes beyond the hero product. It can be a perfume, but also a blanket, as well as a bottle, a metal, or a cup," Tamponi pointed out. A work of exploration that is paying off, leading Sebago toward steady growth for several seasons now. "We are coming out of a period of great results. Women's weight today is at 50 percent of footwear. Clothing is still driving men's and accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of total sales," said the global brand manager. On the retail front, Sebago has launched new wholesale partnerships in the Middle East, Indonesia, and Thailand and wants to grow in the U.S. and Japanese markets. "We will close 2025 with about 20 directly controlled flagship stores in Europe, plus three stores in South Africa, two in Greece and four in the Philippines, managed by our local partners," Tamponi noted. "Culturally, we are returning to the glories of those Ivy League days. The preppy style was born when 20-somethings started using their parents' clothes. Today's 20-somethings are going back to espouse that kind of look and reinterpret it in a more urban way," the brand manager continued. Since February 2024, Superga has also been at the center of work to explore the brand's cultural heritage. "We had strayed a bit in recent years from the core and aesthetic of Superga. This collection wants to move away from the supremacy of the 2750, which remains our icon, by offering a range of silhouettes and opportunities for use. So we included macramé, raffia, linen, to return to the purity of the product. We 'cleaned up' the 2750 with a much more compact color palette that starts with ecru," Tamponi stressed. The centennial celebrations will continue with the publication of a book with Rizzoli. "We have owned Superga for more than 20 years and have never told its real story. With archivists and marketing teams, we studied historical products and originals to understand what Superga was and what it became," he revealed. The brand is traveling with double-digit growth rates and has opened 20 stores in two and a half years since 2023 with widespread distribution in Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Asia, and South Africa. "The stores are working great and the brand is going like a train. We don't make fashion, we make products. This is the core value of Basicnet. We make the brand and try to build the trend around the brand," Tamponi concluded.
Fashion Network
11 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Basicnet expands Sebago lifestyle, celebrates century of the Superga 2750
Basicnet is turbocharging Sebago 's lifestyle expansion and is celebrating a century of the Superga 2750 with an unprecedented model homage to the brand's roots. The centennial shoe celebrates a return to the essence of Superga, as the Piedmont-based group's CEO Lorenzo Boglione explained from the Pitti booth. The result is a "restricted version compared to previous ones, in terms of volume and quantity of product. We tried to elevate it, make it more refined and perhaps closer to the Superga that survives in the memory of our most loyal customers," said Boglione. The newly appointed CEO of Basicnet, a position he has held with his brother Alessandro since last May, confirmed investments in Sebago apparel. "Shoes have been the driver of the brand's success over the past 6-7 years since we took it over. The idea is to continue to grow by telling the Sebago world in its entirety. That's how apparel was born, which today is a very fast-growing business at a time when the market is not easy," Boglione continued. During the press conference at Fortezza da Basso, Boglione Jr. reiterated the importance of the trade fair system for doing business today. "It is often said that trade shows are a legacy of the past. I believe there is no better place than a fair like Pitti to see and exchange opinions and ideas. We hope it will remain relevant for a long time because comparing is certainly the best way to start the season," noted Basicnet's CEO. Behind the development of both Basicnet brands is the painstaking work of their global brand manager, Marco Tamponi. "Sebago has experienced the moccasin phenomenon, which is growing along with the boat shoe phenomenon. With the clothing, we want to compact the preppy Ivy League culture in which the brand has its roots and push it into the contemporary. And we do this while respecting the cultural context to which Sebago belongs, which has created one of the canons of menswear, but without coming across as vintage," said Tamponi, since last February appointed to the creative, strategic, and international development direction of the American brand born in 1946, in Maine. An ever-expanding range that from this June will be enriched by a bar of soap resulting from a new collaboration between Sebago and a U.S. company. "The soap bar will have a rope to recall the soap used in boats that hung on the hook, then used in American universities by students who hung it in their lockers after showering between classes," the manager explained For the near future, Sebago already has other still top-secret collaborations on track that demonstrate the brand's ability to expand its boundaries beyond the shoe business. "I often walk into wonderful stores and don't buy the core product. In our flagships and wholesale distribution, Sebago has to show a depth of exploration that goes beyond the hero product. It can be a perfume, but also a blanket, as well as a bottle, a metal, or a cup," Tamponi pointed out. A work of exploration that is paying off, leading Sebago toward steady growth for several seasons now. "We are coming out of a period of great results. Women's weight today is at 50 percent of footwear. Clothing is still driving men's and accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of total sales," said the global brand manager. On the retail front, Sebago has launched new wholesale partnerships in the Middle East, Indonesia, and Thailand and wants to grow in the U.S. and Japanese markets. "We will close 2025 with about 20 directly controlled flagship stores in Europe, plus three stores in South Africa, two in Greece and four in the Philippines, managed by our local partners," Tamponi noted. "Culturally, we are returning to the glories of those Ivy League days. The preppy style was born when 20-somethings started using their parents' clothes. Today's 20-somethings are going back to espouse that kind of look and reinterpret it in a more urban way," the brand manager continued. Since February 2024, Superga has also been at the center of work to explore the brand's cultural heritage. "We had strayed a bit in recent years from the core and aesthetic of Superga. This collection wants to move away from the supremacy of the 2750, which remains our icon, by offering a range of silhouettes and opportunities for use. So we included macramé, raffia, linen, to return to the purity of the product. We 'cleaned up' the 2750 with a much more compact color palette that starts with ecru," Tamponi stressed. The centennial celebrations will continue with the publication of a book with Rizzoli. "We have owned Superga for more than 20 years and have never told its real story. With archivists and marketing teams, we studied historical products and originals to understand what Superga was and what it became," he revealed. The brand is traveling with double-digit growth rates and has opened 20 stores in two and a half years since 2023 with widespread distribution in Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Asia, and South Africa. "The stores are working great and the brand is going like a train. We don't make fashion, we make products. This is the core value of Basicnet. We make the brand and try to build the trend around the brand," Tamponi concluded.
Fashion Network
11 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Basicnet expands Sebago lifestyle, celebrates century of the Superga 2750
Basicnet is turbocharging Sebago 's lifestyle expansion and is celebrating a century of the Superga 2750 with an unprecedented model homage to the brand's roots. The centennial shoe celebrates a return to the essence of Superga, as the Piedmont-based group's CEO Lorenzo Boglione explained from the Pitti booth. The result is a "restricted version compared to previous ones, in terms of volume and quantity of product. We tried to elevate it, make it more refined and perhaps closer to the Superga that survives in the memory of our most loyal customers," said Boglione. The newly appointed CEO of Basicnet, a position he has held with his brother Alessandro since last May, confirmed investments in Sebago apparel. "Shoes have been the driver of the brand's success over the past 6-7 years since we took it over. The idea is to continue to grow by telling the Sebago world in its entirety. That's how apparel was born, which today is a very fast-growing business at a time when the market is not easy," Boglione continued. During the press conference at Fortezza da Basso, Boglione Jr. reiterated the importance of the trade fair system for doing business today. "It is often said that trade shows are a legacy of the past. I believe there is no better place than a fair like Pitti to see and exchange opinions and ideas. We hope it will remain relevant for a long time because comparing is certainly the best way to start the season," noted Basicnet's CEO. Behind the development of both Basicnet brands is the painstaking work of their global brand manager, Marco Tamponi. "Sebago has experienced the moccasin phenomenon, which is growing along with the boat shoe phenomenon. With the clothing, we want to compact the preppy Ivy League culture in which the brand has its roots and push it into the contemporary. And we do this while respecting the cultural context to which Sebago belongs, which has created one of the canons of menswear, but without coming across as vintage," said Tamponi, since last February appointed to the creative, strategic, and international development direction of the American brand born in 1946, in Maine. An ever-expanding range that from this June will be enriched by a bar of soap resulting from a new collaboration between Sebago and a U.S. company. "The soap bar will have a rope to recall the soap used in boats that hung on the hook, then used in American universities by students who hung it in their lockers after showering between classes," the manager explained For the near future, Sebago already has other still top-secret collaborations on track that demonstrate the brand's ability to expand its boundaries beyond the shoe business. "I often walk into wonderful stores and don't buy the core product. In our flagships and wholesale distribution, Sebago has to show a depth of exploration that goes beyond the hero product. It can be a perfume, but also a blanket, as well as a bottle, a metal, or a cup," Tamponi pointed out. A work of exploration that is paying off, leading Sebago toward steady growth for several seasons now. "We are coming out of a period of great results. Women's weight today is at 50 percent of footwear. Clothing is still driving men's and accounts for about 25 to 30 percent of total sales," said the global brand manager. On the retail front, Sebago has launched new wholesale partnerships in the Middle East, Indonesia, and Thailand and wants to grow in the U.S. and Japanese markets. "We will close 2025 with about 20 directly controlled flagship stores in Europe, plus three stores in South Africa, two in Greece and four in the Philippines, managed by our local partners," Tamponi noted. "Culturally, we are returning to the glories of those Ivy League days. The preppy style was born when 20-somethings started using their parents' clothes. Today's 20-somethings are going back to espouse that kind of look and reinterpret it in a more urban way," the brand manager continued. Since February 2024, Superga has also been at the center of work to explore the brand's cultural heritage. "We had strayed a bit in recent years from the core and aesthetic of Superga. This collection wants to move away from the supremacy of the 2750, which remains our icon, by offering a range of silhouettes and opportunities for use. So we included macramé, raffia, linen, to return to the purity of the product. We 'cleaned up' the 2750 with a much more compact color palette that starts with ecru," Tamponi stressed. The centennial celebrations will continue with the publication of a book with Rizzoli. "We have owned Superga for more than 20 years and have never told its real story. With archivists and marketing teams, we studied historical products and originals to understand what Superga was and what it became," he revealed. The brand is traveling with double-digit growth rates and has opened 20 stores in two and a half years since 2023 with widespread distribution in Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Asia, and South Africa. "The stores are working great and the brand is going like a train. We don't make fashion, we make products. This is the core value of Basicnet. We make the brand and try to build the trend around the brand," Tamponi concluded.
Business Journals
21-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
What Mayor elect Barbara Lee plans to do in her first 100 days as Oakland's mayor
Progressive lawmaker and former congresswoman Barbara Lee won the Mayor's race in Oakland, ending months of uncertainty over who would take the reins following Mayor Sheng Thao's recall. So what's first on her agenda? While many Oakland business leaders endorsed Barbara Lee's opponent in the mayoral race, they have begun lining up behind the next leader of the city in the hopes that she can solve some of Oakland's biggest issues. Lee, a progressive lawmaker and longtime congresswoman, took an insurmountable lead in the election when results were released Friday, and her closest opponent, former City Council member Loren Taylor, formally conceded the race over the weekend. Lee's victory ends months of uncertainty surrounding the city since former Mayor Sheng Thao was recalled last year. The leadership change comes at a critical time for Oakland — which faces a massive structural budget deficit and public safety concerns — and could offer some stability for its City Hall to tackle those issues. Lee's platform centered on unifying the city behind a politician who has been representing the city in Congress for decades, while her opponent Taylor pushed to fix what he called a broken city government. Both candidates campaigned on similar issues, like increasing the number of police officers in the city and addressing the city's budget shortfall, but differed somewhat in their approach and their backers. The former U.S. congresswoman was largely seen as a trusted voice that could help stabilize the city. She received endorsements and funding from high-profile groups and leaders including the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, labor unions, state legislators, four former Oakland mayors and seven of the eight members of the Oakland City Council. Wealthy tech, finance and commercial real estate executives backed Taylor, who ran as a more moderate candidate and appealed to those who were frustrated with the city's crime and governance problems. Revitalize East Bay — a coalition for 'moderate, practical governance' — donated $67,000 to Taylor's campaign. The group is backed by commercial real estate, tech and high net worth individuals including Piedmont-based hedge fund manager Philip Dreyfuss, who funded Thao's recall. Backers of Taylor who spoke with the Business Times Monday said they are glad to have a clear direction on where the city is going and expect Lee will engage with their community as part of a broad coalition that she plans to create in her first 100 days. Empower Oakland, a volunteer-led civic group that endorsed Taylor, also noted Lee could leverage political relationships at the county and state levels, which could help the city land more funding and resources. Other commercial real estate leaders noted that landing stable leadership and getting out of an election cycle will not only help boost Oakland's reputation and perception, but also align the efforts at City Hall toward a common goal. 'Oakland is a deeply divided City, and I answered the call to run, to unite our community—so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems,' Lee said in a post to X Saturday, after Taylor conceded. Her first 100 days In her first 100 days, Lee said she plans to bring together Police Department leadership and representatives from all business corridors to coordinate and improve safety strategies, aggressively prosecute illegal dumping and secure Oakland's fair share of money from the county to address the homelessness crisis, per her website. Lee said she also plans to convene the CEOs of the 10 largest Oakland employers to discuss public-private initiatives to improve Oakland's economy and increase public safety. Similar models exist today with Oakland's Northlake initiative, a privately funded enhanced services district to boost public safety and activate an area of Uptown Oakland kick started by local commercial real estate executives. Four of the city's biggest employers, PG&E, Blue Shield, Clorox and Kaiser Permanente, pooled together $10 million last year to bolster security near their offices, provide buddy escorts for their employees and offer employee safety training. Lee's 100 day plan also calls for permit reform to reduce bureaucracy for small businesses and directing city council to pass a budget that prioritizes public safety and stabilizes the city's finances. She also proposed some government accountability measures, like appointing a task force of League of Women Voters, ethics and good government experts to modernize Oakland's Charter. She's also suggested auditing city contracts to ensure public funds are being spent effectively by contractors and nonprofits. Lee named the head of the Alameda Labor Council and the president of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce in her transition team, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Charlene Wang won the race for the District 2 Oakland City Council seat, which spans Chinatown, Jack London Square, and areas near Lake Merritt. Oakland voters also approved by 65% a measure that increased sales tax from 10.25% to 10.75% that is intended to ease the city's budget crisis. Lee has spent 30 years in public office. She will replace interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins, who stepped in after Thao was recalled, and finish Thao's term through the end of 2026. She could take office in mid to late May, after the final vote count is certified. She will be the first Black woman to serve as mayor of Oakland. The largest accounting firms in the East Bay East Bay client service professionals Rank Prior Rank Business name/Prior rank 1 11 CBIZ Inc. & CBIZ CPAs 2 2 Armanino LLP 3 6 Withum View this list
