Interview with Mr. Andrea Bonardi

Mr. Andrea Bonardi
Managing Director
La Perla , Asia

I would say that buying luxury lingerie is a bit like buying an expensive watch...

In an exclusive interview with Fibre2Fashion correspondent Mary Christine Joy, Mr. Andrea Bonardi discusses the generic lingerie and beachwear industry. He talks about the market for luxury lingerie in Asia and the challenges faced by the same. Synopsis: Mr. Bonardi comes from one of the fashion capitals of the world - Milan. He has served as the Asia Manager at the Milan Chamber of Commerce during his career which helped him to get acquainted with the Asian market. He has played an immense role in establishing La Perla in the Asian market as well as the other emerging markets since 2006. As he shares his experiences and his views, an overview of the global lingerie and beachwear market is obtained. Excerpts:

Can you give us a bit about your journey so far? How was your experience till now in the fashion and apparel industry?

I joined the fashion industry by chance actually, and all happened following a La Perla fashion show that the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce I was working for did organize in Bombay in 2002. The then owner of La Perla was so excited with the event in Bombay, that he kept in touch with me, also to support the Chamber arrange a participation by Tarun Tahiliani in the Milan Fashion Week, which actually took place the following year. I only joined La Perla in 2006, but in the meanwhile I had the chance to work with such names as Valentino, Trussardi, Ferre, Zegna, organize fashion shows in India in 2004 and 2005. These experiences gave me a good insight in the fashion world and the way it functions. Eventually I was called by La Perla to join them in 2006 to develop the Asian market. And that was an opportunity I didn’t let go, even though I had no real background in retail and luxury. But I had fallen in love with the brand, so unique, so different, it was a challenge indeed but also a great pleasure. And when you love the brand you work for, than you find resources to tackle any problems!

Why do you think is La Perla better than the rest in the lingerie industry?

La Perla is the only lingerie brand that can make a woman dream, a product that blends sensuality, seduction, confidence, quality and comfort in one product. This unique mix is truly impossible to imitate in the lingerie industry. Competitors have been trying to emulate La Perla but have not succeeded so far. As a matter of fact, La Perla is the only lingerie brand that can afford a store in all the top luxury streets of the world.

Has the global recession hit the lingerie industry and its sales in any way? Can you describe keeping La Perla in mind?

The global recession has also hit the lingerie industry, especially in Europe, while other markets have actually grown. But La Perla, thanks to its unique luxury and fashion positioning, has been very resilient in Europe and growing in emerging markets, where actually a strong development plan has been underway, with the opening of over 30 stores in the last couple of years. We have huge expansion plans owing to the growing demand of luxury lingerie and beachwear.

Luxury lingerie is not affordable for many. What is your opinion about the global luxury lingerie market? How is it in comparison to other apparel market?

Luxury lingerie is the ultimate luxury experience, as the product cannot be seen and therefore is not associated with status. It is a product for pure self indulgence that is bought by very sophisticated customers who have already gone through the scale of luxury (shoes, accessories, jewelry, and apparel) and look for something more fulfilling from a personal point of view. As you can understand, the appreciation of luxury lingerie therefore requires a lot of customer education and appreciation of beauty, quality, and craftsmanship factors that are not always required when buying apparel or other luxury products. If a comparison can be done, I would say that buying luxury lingerie is a bit like buying an expensive watch, that requires the customer to appreciate its complications and mechanisms that are not visible to the eye and yet make a difference.

How do you see the emerging economies in terms of a market for luxury lingerie? Do you think that there is a lot of scope for luxury lingerie in there?

We have started a very aggressive development plan in emerging markets, believing that there is a lot of scope for luxury lingerie. Over the last couple of years we have opened over 30 stores in Asia, Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union and Middle East. Emerging markets of course do represent a challenge for us, as customers do still prefer to show off, but those societies are also changing very fast and we see a growing interest from women in those countries to experience a different level of luxury, more sophisticated and intimate, and La Perla fits perfectly in this dynamics.

What have you got to say about the market for beachwear?

Beachwear is becoming more and more of lifestyle apparel, whereas in the past it had a more functional use. The growing number of resort destinations, the dilution of seasonality due to easier and faster access to tropical destinations, have boosted this trend, that La Perla had in fact anticipated many years ago already by creating very beautiful, luxurious collections.

Lingerie and beachwear offer women very little options to experiment. Do you believe in this statement? Please explain your stand.

I think the statement is very wrong, on the contrary women can express themselves through lingerie and beachwear by wearing it to match their mood or personality. They can choose to be sexy, seductive, sensual, or confident, determined, independent, all this by wearing different kinds of lingerie or beachwear. As I said before, lingerie requires a lot of education, and the woman must know how to master her lingerie and use it!

Can you explain a bit about 'Vanity Sizing' and La Perla with regards to vanity sizing?

New ideas and technologies keep cropping up in the industry now and then. Lingerie industry is no exception! It is a growing trend that we are also tapping, but in a fashionable way. Again La Perla in this regard distinguishes itself from other lingerie players.

What do you think is the future of the global lingerie industry?

The future will be towards very mass brands offering competitive prices for fast consumption and towards uber-luxury for the very discerning and sophisticated customers who want to indulge themselves. Lingerie will continue to play a great role in the day to day living of women.

What factors do you suppose make lingerie and beachwear "luxurious" in addition to "comfortable"?

Luxury is about the use of precious and refined materials and unique designs. The former give psychological as well physical comfort, in terms of lightness, fitting, while the latter complements it, by providing the mood and feeling of wearing something extraordinary. Together these two elements provide a luxurious feel to the item.

Published on: 07/02/2013

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.