Colmar, the lifestyle revolution winning over women
di Marta Casadei
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3' min read
3' min read
«We started out as a straightforward sports brand and, even when we decided to launch a less technical and more lifestyle range, we were particularly successful in the men's segment. But over the years our women's range, which we didn't conceive of as a complement to the men's range but rather as its own independent collection, has become increasingly credible among our female consumers. This is borne out by the numbers: 40% of our sales on the Italian market, our most important in economic terms, come from the women’s line».
Stefano Colombo is the youthful sales and marketing director of Colmar, a brand owned by Manifattura Mario Colombo which, founded in Monza almost a century ago (in 1923), began life as a manufacturer of hats and gaiters before expanding to make special products for the first skiers and mountaineers in the 1930s. The relationship between Manifattura and sports enthusiasts grew stronger after the Second World War with Colmar, most notably, becoming an iconic skiwear brand.
From skiing to lifestyle
In the last decade the company, still owned by the Colombo family, has undergone a genuine evolution, transforming Colmar into a lifestyle brand and launching the Colmar Originals label: «On one hand this project has helped us to overcome seasonality and dress our customers all year round» – continues Colombo – and on the other it has enabled us to increase our customer base both in Italy and abroad.»
If Colmar’s business activities - total revenues of €108 million in 2018 - are mainly concentrated in the domestic market, which accounts for around 65%, Originals was an immediate success also at international level: «The international market has been and remains a key driver of growth. And one of our current aims is to rebalance the business model more towards the foreign market. In many cases there is little brand awareness, so this is our starting point.»
International development
Colmar’s two main international markets currently are Germany and France: «The latter is more developed from a retail perspective: we have five franchise stores and are also ready to open a branded store in Paris, the first directly-managed store in the country.»
