History
Furla was founded in Bologna in 1927 by Aldo Furlanetto to initially deal with the distribution of products and fashionable ladies' accessories via wholesale. In 1955, the first Furla store was opened in Bologna, nowadays still operating. Starting from the 70s, Aldo Furlanetto was supported by his children Carlo, Paolo, and Giovanna Furlanetto. In the same decade, Furla released the first collection of bags. At the beginning of the 90s, Furla started to open stores and branches around the world: Japan, the USA, Spain, the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, and China. In 2008, Giovanna Furlanetto established Fondazione Furla in order to support emerging talents. In 2012, Furla opened its first flagship store in Bangkok, creating a new sophisticated store concept. In 2013, Furla started to manage its distribution in Hong Kong, Macau, and China, and as a consequence, it recorded exponential growth in Asia. In 2015, Furla opened Palazzo Furla in the heart of Milan, Italy’s fashion capital. In 2018, Furla acquired the manufacturing plant Effeuno Srl in Tuscany; in the same year, Furla’s sales more than doubled up to 513 million euros, and the company finalized the acquisition of the retail distribution network in China. In 2019, the company declared to use only faux fur in its collections. In 2020 Furla unveiled a new store concept in Milan. In the spring of 2021, Furla inaugurated Furla Progetto Italia.Distribution
Furla operates a modern omnichannel structure, integrating the different physical and digital touchpoints. The brand's collections are present in 850 points of sale around the world, including multi-brand boutiques and department stores. In addition, Furla operates a retail network covering 50 countries with a total of 457 points of sale, including 281 direct stores, 141 franchised shops and 35 units in airports and railway stations. In 2015, the company moved to a prestigious building in the heart of Milan, which also houses the brand's global showroom. Furla has highly-operative Regional Headquarters in New York, Moscow, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo.Furla Foundation
Furla Foundation – founded in Bologna by FURLA President Giovanna Furlanetto in 2008 – is the outgrowth of a long planning process that the company embarked on in 2000, aimed at encouraging and promoting contemporary culture in Italy, fostering young creative talent, and building a platform of dialogue about the themes of our era. In this perspective, the Furla Art Award was launched in 2000: a pioneering experiment for Italy that over the course of ten editions gained international renown as a cutting-edge Italian competition conceived to support young artists. Joseph Kosuth, Ilya Kabakov, Lothar Baumgarten, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Kiki Smith, Mona Hatoum, Marina Abramovic, Christian Boltanski, Jimmie Durham and Vanessa Beecroft all served as the Prize’s patron artists over a fifteen-year span, also heading the panel of judges.Furla Progetto Italia
In the spring of 2021, Furla inaugurated Furla Progetto Italia, the new 43,000 square meter complex located in the heart of Chianti, in Tavernelle Val di Pesa (Florence), formerly the headquarters of Effeuno Srl. The production platform purchased by Furla in 2018 welcomes 130 employees, offering a sustainable environment. The new hub also houses the "Furla Academy", a training program launched in 2018 in partnership with ITS Mita. Aiming at spreading and passing on the manufacturing know-how of the company, the academy offers young talented artisans access to academic studies, as well as technical and practical courses, along with classroom lessons, revealing to them the secret behind the whole production process, from prototyping to modeling in the laboratory.Gallery
See also
* Italian fashion * Made in ItalyReferences
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