A LEG UP: Jennifer Lopez will be the new face of Intimissimi, the Italian intimates brand, as it looks to make its mark in the U.S.
The company recently signed the pop star as its latest global ambassador, group general manager Marcello Veronesi told WWD during the parent company Calzedonia’s splashy Paris Fashion Week party.
Signing Lopez is one of the first steps in building their brand and increasing name recognition for the Intimissimi label in the U.S. The brand launched in New York City in 2017, but the group’s ambitious bi-coastal growth plan was slowed by the pandemic.
There are currently 50 Intimissimi stores, half of which opened in 2022. “With the last two years due to the pandemic we slightly cooled down, slowed our expansion, but…we are looking towards next year to spend again,” said Marcello Veronesi.
Marcello heads up communciations for the Calzedonia group, alongside his father Sandro Veronesi, who serves as chief executive officer of the group. The group also owns the Calzedonia hosiery house, as well as the Tezenis, Atelier Emé and Falconeri brands.
The group sees a massive opportunity in the U.S. lingerie and intimates space. Intimissimi was carried through select Victoria’s Secret shops from 2007 – 2010, but the partnership dissolved. Now the brand wants to take a chunk of their market share.
“The market is opening up a new phase after the domination of Victoria’s Secret,” said Sandro Veronesi. “Now there are new brands and we hope to take a part of that market. We have a fashionable proposal for Intimissimi in the States. It will take some time to be known.”
With Calzedonia, the tights brand, the group has 70 shops in the U.S. and plans for more. “We want to grow a lot and we also want to understand better the taste and the prefereces of the American public because the two markets are different and the competitors are different,” said Sandro Veronesi. “So we have to learn a lot, and to invest in opening shops, communcation, and world expansion.”
The company also took a majority stake in the Antonio Marras fashion house earlier this month. It’s the first foray into high fashion for the company, which has been traditionally focused on accessories and knitwear.
“It’s not our main ambition, but we saw an opportunity in a brand that has a lot of creativity but poor organization behind it,” said Salvo Veronesi. “Because we have an organization in communication, retailing and manufacturing and we thought it could be a good marriage and be beneficial for both.”
The focus is on getting the Marras house on more solid financial footing before looking at any expansion plans, he added.
“Right now we are mainly focused on Intimissimi and Calzedonia, the other brands will come in the future,” said Marcello Veronesi. They want to be established with the two existing brands before bringing others stateside.
The duo spoke ahead of their “Legs Celebration,” a splashy Calzedonia-branded party and its first event during Paris Fashion Week. The brand took over Palais Brongniart with a giant art installation and a room featuring contortionists bending and twisting around a light installation.
The party is part of the group’s global ambitions.
“This is a totally new thing for us, because we’ve never organized an event outside Italy with such a huge investment and number of guests,” said Marcello Veronesi. “This is a new experiment for us and we are looking forward for [the group] to be ready for new challenges. We are here today to confirm that our group is an international group, of course we are based in Italy, but we are looking for new experiences.”
