One economic actor of the Italian fashion sector: survey sampling the Allegri consumers’ and agents’ target

13 
SUMMARY 
 
The research has the focus on identifying consumers and competitors of the brand 
Allegri. In order to have a better understanding of the company Allegri, a framework for 
the research has been built, that is the operating sector and the history of the brand. 
Starting from the origin of Italian fashion, on 12th February 1952, the steps for 
affirming an Italian style and the further events are explained. Some of the steps 
describe the approach to "ready to wear" in Italy, the emerging figure of the stylist, 
"prêt-à-porter" and finally the development of industrial districts. 
The industrial district is a phenomenon of the seventies, tightly related to the 
evolution of Allegri; the company was founded in Empoli producing raincoats, 
characterizing element of this area. Since 2011, the brand has belonged to LG Fashion 
Corporation, Korean multinational clothing firm. Nowadays, Allegri is in a transition 
phase, which requires information to set up a future strategy. Aiming to supply some of 
this information, a survey has been conducted on two different kinds of consumers 
(those who shop in outlet and those in stores) and on the company agents. From the 
research, some important results have emerged, for instance, how consumers perceive 
the brand (empirically), brand awareness, Allegri consumers' profile, defects in 
production, etc.  
Beyond the results, there are some suggestions for the company to follow in the 
middle and in the long term.
15 
INTRODUCTION 
 
This study is the result of marketing research conducted during a period of 
internship in an Italian fashion company, Allegri. The focus of the research has been to 
identify the consumers’ profile and the main competitors. The work is divided into four 
chapters and an additional section with the conclusions and suggestions.  
In the first chapter, the development of the Italian fashion market is explained, 
starting from the day that is considered the birth of fashion in Italy: 12
th
 February 1951. 
This represents the date for the First Italian High Fashion Show, where the most famous 
Italian fashion houses exhibited their sartorial creations in Florence. After that event, 
the fashion market in the country gained an important place abroad, challenging the 
leadership of France. The positive trend of the Italian design was damaged by the 
rivalry of the many cities that beyond Florence wanted to be the capital cities for Italian 
fashion. Rome, Turin and Milan contended to be recognized as the fashion city, 
qualified in different fashion sectors: high fashion, boutique line and ready to wear.  
An important element of novelty that the Italian fashion system introduced was 
the collaboration of the designer with the textile factories. The sign of a stylist on the 
sewing of clothes was called prêt-à-porter.  
The events at the end of the 60’s brought some changes in the Italian fashion 
system. The transformations in the consumers’ demand and the recession of the 70’s led 
to the disintegration of the large companies and to the affirmation of the districts. About 
the districts, there is a paragraph entirely dedicated to their features and expanded 
discussion about the district of Empoli, where the company Allegri was set up. The 
district of Empoli has always had an important role for the production of raincoats, and 
Allegri is one of the many companies that started its business with raincoats but it was 
good on differentiating itself from the other producers in the district. 
The history of Allegri is explained in the second chapter. The two brothers Allegri 
and their children founded the company in 1971 after having gained some experience in 
the raincoat sector. During the years, the brand has collaborated with many famous 
designers, such as Giorgio Armani, Martin Margela… The agreements between the
Introduction 
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16 
company and the stylists concerned either license contract or the creation of the Allegri 
collection signed by the designers. The big transformations for the company happened 
in 2007, when the family Allegri left the control of the company, and in 2011, when the 
Korean LG Fashion Corporation acquired the brand.  
Nowadays, the brand is enjoying a second youth, based on the relaunch of the 
products and the image. Some important decisions have been already taken and some 
others are going to be discussed, also after the results of the research, explained in 
chapter four.  
A survey has been conducted on two kinds of consumers, those who visit the 
outlet next to the factory and those who go into a multi-brand store. The multi-brand 
store where I conducted the survey is located in Pisa.  
There were two different questionnaires for the two types of consumers and 
another one was created for the agents who work with Allegri.  
For the survey in the outlet, the quota sampling design has been used and a CAPI 
methodology has been applied in order to interview the consumers. For the store, a 
complete and continuous collection of data has been realized and also in this case, a 
Computer Assisted Person Interview has been used. Regarding the survey on the agents, 
all of them have been contacted by email; they had to complete an online questionnaire. 
The answers for all the three questionnaires are shown in the 4
th
 chapter and the 
possible conclusions and suggestions for the future strategy of the company are 
explained in the last section.
17 
CHAPTER 1
ST
: THE FASHION IN ITALY 
 
1.1 The origin of Italian fashion style 
12
th
 February 1951 is considered the birth of Italian fashion style. It is when 
Giovanni Battista Giorgini
1
 organized the first Italian fashion show in his Florentine 
residence, Villa Torrigiani. Actually, some attempts to establish an Italian style had 
been done earlier.  
In 1919, the “Primo Congresso Nazionale dell’Industria del Commercio 
dell’Abbigliamento
2
” had been organized in Rome, with the aim to create Italian 
fashion. In 1932, in Venice, the “Sindacato di Alta moda
 3
” had been founded, and some 
years later, in 1932, the “Ente autonomo della Mostra permanente della moda
 4
” had 
been established in Turin, and then called “Ente italiano della moda
5
.”  
The failure of these tries revealed the difficulty to affirm an Italian fashion 
system. First of all, too many cities competed for the role of fashion capital city (Rome, 
Milan, Turin and Florence). In addition, a real Italian high fashion style was missing: 
the Italian tailors used to propose clothing completely inspired by the Parisian 
collections.  
Giorgini understood that to create an Italian style it was necessary to aim for 
creativity and an artistic and handcrafted tradition. Therefore, an event on February 
1951 was organized in Florence: the seat of some fashion houses, the city famous all 
over the world for its artistic beauties and the keeper of manufacturing and handcrafted 
traditions.    
                                                
1
 Giovanni Battista Giorgini was born in Forte dei Marmi in 1898. He worked for long times as buyer for 
some American department stores and gained so much knowledge about the American market that he 
decided to launch on that market the Italian fashion.  
2
 “First National Congress of Clothing Trade Industry”. 
3
 “Trade-Union of High Fashion”. 
4
 “Independent Authority of the permanent Exhibit”. 
5
 “Italian Authority of Fashion” (EIM). See: Paris I., (2006), Oggetti cuciti. L'abbigliamento pronto in 
Italia dal primo dopoguerra agli anni Settanta, pp 241-271.
Chapter 1
st
  
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18 
In the invitation for the tailors who took part in the event, Giorgini highlighted the 
importance of creating original and creative clothing: “In the interest of the fashion 
houses, it is clear that the models shown would be of typical and exclusive Italian 
inspiration
6
.”  
The Florentine high fashion show was organized right after the Parisian fashion 
show to let the American buyers, who were there, lengthen their European visit in 
Florence and see the Italian collections  
At the event, in Giorgini’s Villa Torrigiani, there were six buyers of the main 
American department stores
7
 and 13 fashion houses, with a total of 180 garments. Nine 
tailors belonged to the high fashion sector
8
: Simonetta, Visconti, Fabiani, Sorelle 
Fontana, Emilio Schuberth, Carosa Marucelli, Veneziani, Noberasco and Vanna. The 
other 4 houses represented the boutique fashion
9
: Avolio, Mirsa, Emilio Pucci and 
Tessitrice dell’Isola.  
Especially the boutique line, which was not presented in the Parisian show, struck 
the American buyers. The availability of high fashion Italian clothing at a convenient 
price was another factor that led the First Italian High Fashion Show to international 
success. The press and the buyers commented positively on the event and because of the 
great success, it was decided to organize a second high fashion show in July.      
For that second date, the show was moved to the “Grand Hotel” in Borgo 
Ognissanti, still in Florence. This time the fashion houses were 15 with a total of 700 
garments. The number of buyers rose to 300. Also this time the event had considerable 
success, according to the comments in the Italian and foreign press
10
. 
The war of the “two fashions” between Florence and Paris was already 
publicized.
11
 All over the world, the French capital had been recognized for a long time 
as the only centre of haute couture and now, it had to compete with the new Italian 
style
12
. The success of the Italian models was due, first, to the low price, second, to the 
                                                
6
 Quote from Gnoli S., (2012) Moda. Dalla nascita della haute couture a oggi: p. 168. 
7
 They were: I. Magnin in San Francisco, H. Morgani in Motréal, B. Altman and B. Goodman in New 
York.  
8
 High fashion (haute couture in French) is the fashion sector where the clothes are custom cut.  
9
 The boutique fashion stays in the middle between prêt-à-porter and high fashion: it offers high quality 
garments, created in a limited series (See: Grandi S., Vaccari A., Zannier S., (1992), La moda nel secondo 
dopoguerra: p. 58). 
10
 See: Gnoli S., (2012) Moda. Dalla nascita della haute couture a oggi: p. 170. 
11
 It was the title of an article on the French magazine “Samedì-Soir”, at the end of August 1951. Article 
quoted by Gnoli S., (2012) Moda. Dalla nascita della haute couture a oggi: p. 170. 
12
 See: Par. 1.3.
The fashion in Italy 
______________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
19 
fabrication, and third, to the innovation and the quality of the materials. In an article in 
Grazia magazine, in 1951, Vera defined the collections presented in Florence as “Italian 
models for American buyers”
 13
. 
At the end of the third Florentine show in January 1952, The “New York Times” 
named Florence as the new international capital city of fashion
14
. 
For the fourth fashion show, the city of Florence opened the Sala Bianca of 
Palazzo Pitti, the ideal place to realize Giorgini’s plan: affirming an Italian style made 
of creativity, art and tradition.  
Nine haute couture houses and 16 boutique fashion tailors participated in the 
event. The boutique line had already achieved great success in the first edition of the 
show, and also this time it was the distinctive element for Italian fashion. Emilio Pucci, 
Mirsa, Guidi, Luisa Spagnoli were some of the main creators of the boutique style. 
They used the Italian artisan tradition to create and present their product, apparently 
minor (as knitwear) but full of Italian creativity and improvisation
15
. The boutique 
creations were declared elegant and practical: “they combined a great elegance with the 
maximum nimbleness and practicality, the craft tradition and a youthful spirit”
 16
.  
Starting with the fourth show, an agreement was ratified within the fashion houses 
and the main Italian textile industries
17
. They became the leading financiers of the show 
by paying 50.000 lire for each model and by supplying free fabric
18
. In this way, 
Giorgini wanted to create a contract within the textile industries and the fashion houses, 
in order to build an Italian fashion system. Based on this agreement, many fashion 
houses of the Sala Bianca started to select the fabrics proposed by those textile 
industries.  This union achieved resounding success during the following shows wherein 
the Italian textile industries had a chance to present their textile creations.    
The quality of the Italian fabrics was appreciated in the USA. An article in 
“Vogue USA”, 1952, claimed that the Italians were capable of producing appropriate 
clothes for American taste, using interesting fabrics. The approval applied also to the 
                                                
13
 Article of Vera, Sottovoce in “Grazia”, 31
st
 March 1951, quoted by da Paris I., (2006), Oggetti cuciti. 
L'abbigliamento pronto in Italia dal primo dopoguerra agli anni Settanta. 
14
 “The New York Times”, 29
th
 January 1952, quoted by Pinchera V., (2009), La moda in Italia e Toscana. 
Dalle origini alla globalizzazione: p. 36. 
15
 See: Gnoli S., (2012), Moda. Dalla nascita della haute couture a oggi: p. 170 and Grandi S., Vaccari 
A., Zannier S. (1992), La moda nel secondo dopoguerra: p. 58. 
16
 Article of Erti, Ma cosa succede a Firenze in “Grazia”, 8
th
 September 1951, quoted by Paris I., (2006), 
Oggetti cuciti. L'abbigliamento pronto in Italia dal primo dopoguerra agli anni Settanta. 
17
 Some of them: Snia Viscosa, Rivetti, Val di Susa, Antico Setificio fiorentino. 
18
 See: Gnoli S., (2012) Moda. Dalla nascita della haute couture a oggi: p 172.