Mantù designs an essential and elegant woman

Contract production and the desire to create its own brand are the cornerstones of the work that Castor fashion has been doing since 2000. Over the years, the company has grown and now has 75 employees, 70 of whom are women. Daughter of two parents who have always worked in the textile/clothing industry, Angela Picozzi, after graduating in business administration, first worked in London at Harvey Nicols as an assistant buyer and then, back in Mantua, she chose to undertake production for a French stylist and 'learn all the stages of this job', as she tells Il Sole 24 Ore.

Alongside the various designers for whom the company works, a line of its own, the Mantù brand, was thus born, 'with the aim of becoming an Italian brand that combines creativity with the practicality of garments,' Angela points out.

Style therefore goes hand in hand with wearability, the 'fit' that is the primary focus of the work that the Mantù team puts in. "Our style is never extreme," says Angela, who recalls her parents' experience for well-known fashion houses, including Maison Margiela, parents who now also work in their daughter's company. "We follow fashion but our products are always very wearable.

The line has a turnover of EUR 3 million and produces 8,000 garments per year. The company, on the other hand, invoices 14 million.

It is designed for a practical woman, who has her own physicality and must be comfortable but elegant on the different occasions of the day. "I believe that clothes should enhance the woman and bring out her personality," she explains. "That is why our collections are made up of many garments with very clean lines. We have a pre-collection, to which we then add about ten other garments, which is sold directly worldwide. We have showrooms in the USA, Paris and Milan'. The strong point is tailoring and attention to detail.