Welcome to Face2Face, Mr Grotto! It is a pleasure to host this talk with an old hand in most contemporary garment-Jeans. Can we begin our discussion on the source of the Inspiration which is called GAS today?
Grotto S.p.A. has designed, manufactured and distributed men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, footwear and accessories collections under the GAS label for more than 25 years!
Its mission is to offer quality products that meet the needs of intelligent, discerning, international, cosmopolitan consumers looking for clothes with a contemporary feel that goes beyond the fashion of the moment to express their individuality on every occasion.
ESSENSUAL is the word that encapsulates the evolution of the brand’s philosophy, a neologism that combines essentiality and sensuality to add passion, warmth and internationality to the fundamental GAS values of positivity, freshness and authenticity.
Denim is in the GAS DNA. It is its history and its future. An unbreakable tie that has marked the growth and international ‘recognizability’ of the Brand, and which continues to be the axis around which the collections revolve.
The GAS logo has its origins in a personal stunning experience I’ve had during a journey in South Africa, when I witnessed a double rainbow after a storm in Cape Town, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. The double rainbow logo, which symbolizes all the fundamental values of the brand, takes its inspiration from the immense energy of this natural phenomenon.
My passion for young fashion and denim in particular lead me to found the company bearing my name in the early 1970s near my home town, Chiuppano near Vicenza, in the heart of north-eastern Italy. Over the years, the company and the GAS brand, registered in 1984, have enhanced their image through the creation and distribution of high quality collections.
The story behind GAS is interesting.<br></br> Having started the business in this sector in 1970’s, have you come across any such aspects where the sector has undergone transition to great extent?
When I started my “adventure” in the sportswear / jeanswear sector in the early 70s the market had a huge hunger for this kind of products. It was the era of the Beatles, the Rolling Stone and the Cultural Revolution. The world was changing fast but the market was lacking clothes that could represent the new young people lifestyle, an alternative to the traditional way of life and way of dressing: a big opportunity not to be missed!
Later on, in the 80’s and 90’s it was the big boom of the denim fashion. Besides, denim specialists from the big names, even from the ready-to-wear, to the new upcoming brands and fast fashion ones started to insert garments made of jeans in their collection, when not creating entire lines dedicated to it.
With the new millennium the market started to be saturated and later on, in 2008 the economical crisis started to affect the fashion sector in general and the jeanswear one in particular. The challenge has become bigger but I am sure that the brands with a big know how, long lasting expertise and a constant pursuit for research and innovation, like GAS, will be the one surviving and finding new impulse and impetus.
With all these challenges to remain, in your view, what all are the keys for a powerful brand recall in the segment?
In my opinion, the most important thing is the respect towards the consumers and their needs. Our target has become more and more self-conscious, aware, discerning, demanding and what we work every day for is to give them a product that has the right balance between price and quality, style and function, always bearing in mind that we are not creating fashion for fashion but fashion to be worn. Clothes need to have a contemporary flavor but essentially should go beyond current fashions to match and highlight the personality as well as the lifestyle of our target every day and on every occasion.
While talking about challenges, one cannot ignore the cotton prices that surged this year which significantly might have put pressure on the margin. How do you riposte to such situation?
Looking for the best at the best price as always! We constantly strive for the same quality and look maintaining the same price. We also optimize the costs; thanks to a production chain that is more and more agile and efficient reducing the wastage of time, energy and resources. Besides this, we also work on commercial agreements; thanks to our suppliers who help us to absorb the rise of the price of cotton.
In general, GAS had particular focus on Europe and the Far East till recently. However, as number of news talk about your re-entry in Indian markets, am inquisitive to know the reason behind this changed focus, and why particularly towards India?
GAS has never left India. We have just changed our mode of operation. We had entered India in 2006 as a Joint Venture with Raymond which operated for a period of three years. In 2010, we have decided to be direct in India founding GAS Jeans Private Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of Grotto SpA.
India is a country that represents one of the most upcoming, fast-growing and strategic markets. We are sure that, with the GAS brand, a premium lifestyle brand that offers essential, stylish and sensual fashion, we will give an answer to the requests of all Indian cosmopolitan consumers with a young mind set who seek the best in international fashion.
Impressive! So, with the origin as Italian, GAS is appeasing Jeans fans internationally. How is this made possible? Are preferences in Jeans same amongst all consumers globally?
We live in a global village! Young generations travel a lot physically and virtually, thanks to the World Wide Web, so their taste, especially in terms of fashion, is becoming more and more global. Moreover, our attitude has always been international and a jeans, which is our DNA, with its characteristics of versatility, functionality and comfort, can really be considered as the blue flag uniting young mind-set from all latitudes, both geographic and cultural.
That is right! Talking in specific about trends in fabric, now as ‘NO to Sandblasting’ makes a main concern for all big brands, how do you see the move impacting Denim lovers and ultimately businesses?
I think Denim lovers will not be too impacted by this new unavoidable rule. Denim specialists are always working on research and innovation and for GAS it hasn’t been too difficult to find the right alternatives to the sandblasting.
The artisanal room, an actual research and development center at the GAS headquarters, is the result of its constant pursuit for innovation. It is a place where all production processes are tried out “in vitro”, meeting place for creativity and GAS’s history as a manufacturer, where highly innovative products with extraordinary practical and aesthetic potential are developed.
Products such as Research Denim 001, the world’s first completely heat–welded denim, protected by the European Patent NR. 2012608, Reverse Denim, the eccentric reversible jeans, the made in Italy Double Rainbow series of extremely light jackets and accessories in 100% injected down, digitally printed on the finished garment, and the bestseller Sumatra, the jegging born from the mix of two icons, the leggings with the 5 pockets, realized with a soft and light super stretch denim cloth that gives an excellent fit to the garment shaping and emphasizing woman’s curves.
Back to your question, our Artisanal Room includes some expert technicians that select and cooperate only with the best laundries worldwide that share with us the same ethic principles and that are under certifications recognized at an international level. Thanks to this synergy between our technicians and our suppliers, GAS manages to offer its customers denim garments with an authentic vintage look obtained only with the most advanced and safe techniques. At the moment we are mainly using various sandpapering techniques and experimenting an innovative brushing method.
And, now last but not least; what else can be known as GAS’ steps in favor of sustainability?
GAS has always been very sensitive towards this kind of aspects. Our technicians traveling worldwide, to ensure the “Made in GAS”, the quality and sustainability standards guaranteed by our brand, are very strict and very attentive towards not only the characteristics of the raw materials and finished products but also towards the working conditions of the labor.
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DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
