Furla CEO Eraldo Poletto was in Malaysia to share his thoughts and to celebrate the Candy Brissima bag.
Furla recently relaunched in Malaysia with a new boutique at Bangsar Village. The brand, known for its affordable and stylish bags, was also celebrating its Candy Brissima bag.
That particular bag, was on a worldwide “tour” so to speak, and CEO Eraldo Poletto came down to Kuala Lumpur for the event.
Poletto was appointed the position in June 2010 and has been working alongside the president, Giovanna Furlanetto.
“My relationship with Furla was destiny. I believe in the brand. Things always happen for a reason and although you may not know it at first, but it reveals itself later,” said Poletto.
Prior to Furla, Poletto was a member of the executive team and the board of Retail Brand Alliance Inc, leader of the Brooks Brothers brand, president of Brooks Brothers International Inc. and director of the Board of Brooks Brothers Japan, Brooks Brothers UK and Brooks Brothers Europe.
Having been based in the United States since 1997, Poletto wanted to apply what he had learnt there back home in Europe. His position there as president of strategic development and international business in late 2007 gave him a considerable understanding and knowledge of global markets as well as developing proven tactical and strategic leadership skills.
His current goal is to combine the American pragmatism in terms of their retail mindset, with the amazing ability of the Italians to design, create and make a product. And to marry it all with the energy of Asia.
On his many travels to Asia, Poletto said he loved the continent due to its vibrancy.
“Despite there being so many different countries, the one thing Asia has in common is the energy of the young. Everytime I am interviewed in Asia, it is always by a young journalist. It is this promise and zest that only youth brings that I want to incorporate into Furla,” he said.
While touring the world with the Candy Brissima, Poletto promotes the bag as a platform to play with to create and to recreate, to destroy and reassemble again with other parts.
“The bag can be transformed. Through its connection with young emerging artists, Furla supports self-expression. Every two years, there is a Furla event to promote a young artist to give them visibility not as a marketing gimmick but purely to support young artists in expressing themselves,” Poletto said.
Elaborating further, he added, “As a company, we have the obligation to give something back. We have to. More than giving back, it is a way to allow young artists to become visible. The Furla foundation and the Candy Brissima bag helps with this. It also allows us to have a little fun with the Candy.”
Poletto is obviously, of course, a fan of the bag, saying it’s a phenomenal idea. Starting from a basic shape, it uses technologically enhanced PVC. It is also sewn together with a machine used for boots. Eclectic and fun, the Candy bag plays an important role in the characteristic of what Furla is.
Looking to the future, Poletto says there is a need to grow very fast.
“We need to achieve a more critical size to compete with premium brands. Population spending is there, but if we want to compete with luxury brands, we have no choice but to add critical mass to business,” he said.
With that in mind, the next step is to expand and to become a lifestyle brand as opposed to just bags. Having already incorporated sunglasses, wallets and shoes, further effort has to be made.
“In order to become a free standing project, we need to create a World of Furla. It is close to being a 90-year-old company and so there is a need to achieve a more luxury status.”
> Furla is on the ground floor of Bangsar Village II in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, as well as at Level 2, Pavilion KL.
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