Interview with Mr Marco Lucietti

ISKO is the biggest global denim company as far as capacity working is concerned. Around 90 percent of our collection is on Denim. We do have around 10 percent of business in colour denim, flashdyed or cotton bottoms also, but our main focus is Denim and will be denim in future too. We do believe that with correct evaluation of the market as well as the consumer needs, we will be able to remain focus on our main market enjoying leadership.

We have been able to perform satisfactorily even against challenging economical situation last year, holding our niche position. With right kind of product innovation and attention to consumers need, we have been able to wade through these trying times.

Honestly speaking, we had business affected in a small way but it was mainly in lower priced segment of our product offerings. However, the ‘A’ tier market was not much affected. We had also considered widening products collection range and make some setup for special markets too. I would underline again that consumer relevant innovations has been the key to respond the crisis for us.

Denim in my view is not just a fabric-garment any more, but is becoming day by day a lifestyle. Denim apparel industry, in my view, for sure has faced some loss due to such alternative garments but if the company is capable to respond to consumer needs with product innovation- this stands not as a bigger issue. We do also have a small part of our collection in arena of combat trousers productions, but always we have a 'denim' feeling as far as construction of fabric and finishing is concerned; so all these different aspects combine to mean richness of ISKO collection. Along with that, denim becoming the lifestyle is something that helps us to maintain popularity of our products.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is getting more and more important for b2b related companies like ISKO. As a global company, we do have for instance 35 direct sales offices worldwide, and these sales offices are providing information on raw material prices and such vital details. Obviously, cotton prices increase has affected our production cost, but if you look at market not just as a ‘customer supplier relationship’ but as a global landscape, may be there are few left companies that better understand the market also from supply chain management point of view and overcome this problem. Definitely, raw material prices have increased our production cost but we are able to manage these issues with help of our SCM and best relationship with our basics materials suppliers.

JEGGINGS™- very popular, body hugging fit denims are like a second skin moving with you. JEGGINGS fabric is a technology that has been invented by ISKO™.

Another strong trend is what we call NEW VINTAGE, eg raw and natural aspects but with modern reinterpretation.

Other key roles will be played by leather or printed designs, as new interpretation of trends of the sixties.

Generally, stretch, fit, comfort with the utmost attention paid to the fabric finishing and washing is the key to win and pace with the trends and demand.

Well, I think they are right to some extent. However, rather than garment driven, I believe, it would be retail driven or consumer driven industry for the time being. In any case, at the end of the day, the brands retailer will need good products for which in turn they will need good partners providing them good basic materials like fibres and fabrics to produce the best piece of garment. Therefore, I believe that our industry would be driven by partnerships between players along the value chain. Ofcourse, just to answer the consumer trends is not enough to be a good brand but is necessary to create good brands that are capable to meet consumers choices as well as a quality. And ISKO is trying to have good partners along the value chain to answer this market need.

So, undoubtedly the future industry will be retail driven but retail in order to respond will need best partnership along the value chain.

I think this will be a key trend in future, as lot of players will be moving for the smart fabrics. If we speak specifically about fabric Denim, as I already said, it is not any more a garment but a lifestyle. So some consumers use denim with smart fabrics to keep warmth in winter or to drain sweat and humidity in summer whereas some others with the help of nanotechnologies are able to give different kind of performances to fabrics. Let us say that interaction between technology and fabrics is one of the future landscapes of our industry.

So, I think smart fabrics would be a key to success in times to come. On performance and technological point of view, ISKO has already some products to respond these knacks, and we will announce very soon a global partnership with hi-tech producers in order to produce fabrics of future.

Hence, I would say that smart fabrics are going to be one of key trends in future.

For the time being -No! We are denim producers; we do not even produce garments because we would not like our production being overlapped with other players of the value chain. Our strength, knowledge and core values are Denim fabrics. We are ready for partnerships with other value chain players but we would keep retaining our core business as denim only.

As a Global Manager for Branding at ISKO, what I foresee is; the ISKO to be recognized as the BEST INGREDIENT BRAND for denim fabrics globally, like ingredient brand Lycra in fibres and Intel for computers.

We still have a lot of scope in Denim industry. We aspire to be not only biggest but also the best producers of Denim, globally. We are going to announce new branding strategy, new logo and brand identity shortly in Istanbul. We will be also launching our new marketing communications campaign shot by PIERO GEMELLI, one of the famous photographers, in collaboration with the famous Italian agency AdMirabilia; it will be on air as of mid of May.

The idea is to interpret denim fabrics as 'body language' or, in other words, we will present the concept of ISKO™ fabrics being the best ingredient to enhance the language of the body of consumers around the world. We will be investing by and large for this sector in R&D, innovations and marketing in Denim and around Denim only.