Nastrificio Victor owner Regina Bertipaglia explains how her company continues to break the rules, apart from one–searching for quality.
A small detail can make the difference. “Trimmings and detailing in a piece of clothing or accessory can be invisible, but have to be top quality,” explains Regina Bertipaglia, who has owned and managed trim supplier Nastrificio Victor since the 1980s. If a garment is detailed with poor quality trimmings–apart from detaching or fringing itself–it can fade and lose color when washed or treated with an extensive treatment or even a simple rinse. “For all these reasons each of the threads we use and each of our complements are carefully certified in order to guarantee color stability and consistence. Moreover, in these days when many companies have moved most of their production phases in different countries, we provide them all necessary protocols tied to Made in Europe certification.
This way we help our clients saving time when crossing borders of foreign countries thanks to our European certification,” she continues. “We are the ones who respect rules, this way all of our certified products can be worn even by very young kids.”
Nastrifcio Victor was founded in Piove di Sacco, Italy (near Padua) in 1945 by entrepreneur Vittorio Rossi. It started producing tapes for tailors and haberdashers, for use in handwork for traditionally made garments. In the early 1980s Rossi decided to concentrate on other challenges, but the company remained in the family: young Bertipaglia, wife of the founder’s son, then took up the reins. “When I arrived in the company I brought some revolution by starting to employ alternative and research materials for traditional ribbons.By changing rules and adjusting productive parameters of our weaving machines we succeeded in creating interesting new woven ribbons. We also started creating new ideas and products by making mistakes while producing our routine items. We created new weaves, unexpected color mixes and new patterns no one expected but appreciated,” she explains.
Thanks to this spirit of combining tradition and innovation, Nastrificio Victor started offering many different trimmings–either aimed at sports and jeanswear specialists or top-notch pret-à-porter, designers and accessory brands.
By end 2014 it expects to register €10 million in annual sales–about 10% more than in 2013, when it had already registered an almost 7% growth compared with 2012. “The more we increased our technical ability and fashion-mindedness, the more we met success also in foreign markets,” says Bertipaglia, who adds that 20% of its products are sold outside of Italy. Its offer of added-value complements is wide and includes woven tapes, cords and braids, colored ribbons and bows, trims and pipings–elastic and not. The company also produces cotton pipings for jeans, apt to resist the hardest stonewashing or treatment. All are internally manufactured or produced in the Padua area by small laboratories. The products employ many different materials and are guaranteed to retain their color. Major clients range from Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton and Lacoste to activewear brands such as Bogner and Montura.
“Scouting for new trends is the best part of my job,” says Bertipaglia, who visits flea markets all over the world and buys meters of trimmings from remote haberdashers. She says that for f/w 2015-16 wool and hairy hands will be cool. Metallic and pastels will also play an important role–mostly pinks, grays and beiges for women. For men, toile-like weaves will dominate, while generally precious aspects, shiny-matte contrasts and jacquard effects will be important.
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