Blauer USA, Ten C Press On as Outerwear Booms
In the aftermath of the pandemic and as outerwear enjoys a boom, Blauer USA and Ten C parent company FGF Industry have found renewed impulse to implement strategies aimed at further growth.
“The company is doing well, experiencing a 30 to 35 percent increase year-on-year since 2020,” said Enzo Fusco, entrepreneur, designer and founder of FGF Industry. “The strategies we are championing paid off,” he added, highlighting a stronger focus on womenswear and a more directional image at Blauer USA, for example. In a communication boost, the brand has tapped Pierce Brosnan’s son Dylan to appear in its fall campaign with model Lindsey Leonard.
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Menswear still accounts for the bulk of Blauer USA’s revenues, especially for the summer season when it represents 70 percent of the business. Womenswear, meanwhile, is poised to grow 5 percent year-on-year, according to Fusco, who sees a bigger opportunity in the segment, fueled by the potential expansion to outerwear’s adjacent categories.
For spring, the Blauer USA collection hinged on the signature casual look with a cool reinvention of the camouflage pattern splashed on military-inspired gear, like hooded windbreakers with orange piping, paired with cargo shorts and Hawaiian fluid shirts, or accented by floral embroideries and sequins in the women’s range.
Still dependent for two-thirds of its revenues on the Italian market, Fusco said Blauer USA is now looking to grow its international reach and scope, for sales outside of Italy to account for at least 50 percent. Most recently the brand has entered the U.K. while ongoing talks with partners in South Korea and Japan are potentially leading the brand to breach into the Asian continent.
Counting 17 flagship stores, including franchised and directly operated units, with more to come in Rome and Turin, Italy, at retail the brand is seeing stronger feedback from younger generations that are already buying into FGF Industry’s other brand, Ten C.
Fusco sees retail as a strong asset to better serve each label. To this end, FGF Industry is to ink an agreement with a South Korean partner for Ten C, leading to the opening of flagship stores in the country.
The Ten C spring collection developed by creative director Alessandro Pungetti continued to expand the design possibilities of the brand’s signature OJJ fabric, here dyed using a special powdery compound to achieve a marble effect in myriad gray and beige nuances.
The workwear-nodding lineup also included a velvety nylon crafted into pocketed overshirts, anoraks and baggy pants. The season also marked the introduction of Ten C’s first cotton shirts and cotton and rayon pants, in sync with the brand’s ambition to build a total look offering.
Ten C is distributed through about 250 stores globally, Fusco said, and is positioned in the upper premium segment. It leverages a footprint in the U.S., where brother brand Blauer USA is currently not distributed.
In 2022 FGF Industry revenues stood at 73 million euros and Fusco said he expects this year’s sales to hit the 80 million euros threshold.
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