Historically, Frette linens have been featured everywhere from the altar of St Peter’s Basilica to the dining car of the Orient Express, and more than 500 European royal dynasties, including Italy’s Mocenigo Family, have slept beneath its sheets. Today, Frette operates more than 100 boutiques worldwide, retails online and provides bespoke services to the most illustrious client list in its sector. With a heritage defined by craftsmanship and an outlook rooted in innovation, Frette will continue to dress the world’s most remarkable beds for generations to come.
A new collection of classics that extend beyond the bedroom, Style of Living’s precise design formula, called “product agility,” was carefully developed to prioritize the agility of the product over passing seasonal trends while also allowing for nearly infinite design possibilities across generations – from minimalist to extravagant, from geometric to romantic and ornate.
Originally presented in warm, golden hues, the textural, shimmering luxury design motifs of Glowing Weave, Luminscent Tweed, Sparkling Swirl and Shimmer Velvet will be released in cool, silver shades. Additionally,Pearls Embroidery will now be available in luminscent colour variations with metallic gold and silver pearls embroidery on a milk base.
Tracery Embroidery makes its debut as a new design motif within Style of Living. Simultaneously classic and modern, Tracery Embroidery is an embroidery that seamlessly demonstrates its design agility. Available in savage beige/milk as well as turquoise/savage beige, it stands on its own as an embroidery statement or can be paired with jacquards and textures alike, including Glowing Weave, Forever, Tile and Luminescent Tweed. The embroidery is also available in a bath collection.
Frette’s collections continue to extend beyond the master bedroom with an array of accent pieces in the new hues. The pure virgin wool Chains or Cashmere & Suede throws in lacquer/camel bring warmth to the living room while the Luxury Chains decorative cushion in turqoise/camel add panache.
The Frette-To-Wear collection for men and women is comprised of elegant loungewear crafted from the finest materials. The women’s signature Shell Nightgown and Robe made from silk with lace will be introduced in beige/black while the new Roxbury Robe especially for men has been rendered in a luxurious wool and cashmere blend.
Frette’s Collectible for 2019, Jewel, is a one-of-a-kind textile creation rendered in luxurious silk.Inspired by Ancient Egypt and its surrounding natural beauties, Jewel recalls the celebrated riches of the era. With a texture and lustre reminescent of precious gems, Jewel is the ultimate luxury. An embroidered decorative cushion adds a decadent, yet contemporary touch.Modern, glamorous and unparalleled in its cra smanship, we are delighted to present you with this rare work of art.
I recently had the privilege to speak with Filippo Arnaboldi, CEO of Frette about the luxury brands great history, what are consumers seeking today bedding, towels, and home soft goods and the relation between heritage and progress for a historic brand that is embracing younger generations?
Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about the history and development of this iconic Italian home furnishing brand ?
Filippo Arnaboldi: Frette is an Italian heritage brand in every sense of the word. We were founded in 1860 and initially built our business and reputation working with European dynasties, starting as Official Purveyors to the Italian Royal Family, as well as some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, beginning with The Royal Danieli Hotel in Venice in 1899.
As we near our 160thAnniversary in 2020, Frette has evolved into a global lifestyle brand. We have an international retail presence with both brick and mortar locations as well as in iconic department stores like Harrods, Bloomingdale’s and Lane Crawford. We have a thriving hospitality segment supplying linens to more than 1,000 of the world’s best hotels. And we have a flourishing e-commerce business that is our largest, round-the-clock global storefront accounting for a significant and growing percentage of our business. Through this targeted growth and expansion, we’ve remained committed to creating high-quality, timeless products that speak to the evolving tastes of our clients.
I’ve been with Frette for more than 20 years in a variety of management roles, first overseeing marketing efforts and retail growth within the U.S. and then serving as Vice President & General Manager of Frette North America, managing all aspects of the business, including retail, wholesale, hospitality and the launch of our e-commerce platform. As CEO, I am focused on continuing to grow our business internationally while solidifying our position as a global lifestyle brand.
Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what is your quality assurance of the brand’s competitive advantage?
Filippo Arnaboldi: Frette’s quality and craftsmanship has set us apart since 1860. We collaborate with Italy’s most skilled artisans to craft linens and home furnishings using the finest materials. For instance, our bed linens are produced using only long or extra-long staple cotton because with longer fibers, the strength and longevity of the finished product improves. Our linens also undergo a signature finishing process to create the incredibly smooth and lustrous finish for which they are known. In addition, our bespoke services allow clients to work hand-in-hand with our specialists to completely customize everything from bedding and towels to table linens for their private residences, yachts and aircrafts.
Joseph DeAcetis: How do you intend to market to Millennial’s and Gen Z with an established brand?
Filippo Arnaboldi: This month, we are launching a new direct-to-consumer brand, H by Frette, which celebrates our century-old heritage in hospitality with new-world approachability for today’s modern consumer. We’re excited to share more details on the product in the coming weeks.
Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what are consumers seeking today bedding, towels, and home soft goods?
Filippo Arnaboldi: Clients have relied upon Frette for more than a century and continue to seek us out because of our expertise in bed and bath linens. But, we’ve seen more and more clients requesting products from us that extend beyond the bedroom and bathroom. Our new design journey, Style of Living, has responded to those requests with a robust assortment of blankets, throws and decorative cushions that clients can incorporate throughout their home and into their individual lifestyles.
Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes in detail about the current collection and why it is important for consumers to be aware of this brand?
Filippo Arnaboldi: The latest releases as part of our Style of Living assemblage build on the foundational collection, which debuted last fall. Style of Living is Frette’s new collection of classics for the bedroom, bathroom and throughout the home, prioritizing the agility of the product to allow nearly infinite design possibilities across generations and personal tastes – from minimalist to extravagant, and from geometric to romantic and ornate. Style of Living originally launched with a core color palette consisting of our new base color, milk, in addition to savage beige, slate grey, chestnut, light azure and dark orange. The latest releases introduce the collection’s signature design motifs in vibrant shades of lacquer red and turquoise as well as a new motif called Tracery Embroidery.
Joseph DeAcetis: What are the advantages of selling in the American Market?
Filippo Arnaboldi: The American Market is critical to Frette’s success, accounting for about 60% of our global sales. The market allows us to demonstrate our ability to adapt and test new things because the consumer shares what they want when they want it. It drives us to propel our business and workflow forward at a more rapid pace. For instance, the American consumer was craving quicker, more convenient access to our products, so we launched our e-commerce platform in the United States in 2006. The American Market also offers so many distribution channels catering to different consumers with our brick and mortar locations and online storefront as well as wholesale partners who range from titans of the industry, like Bloomingdale’s, and online retailers, such as Saks.com, to a curated selection of specialty stores.
Joseph DeAcetis: Who is developing the designs and production patterns at Frette?
Filippo Arnaboldi: We have an innovative, highly-skilled product development team based at our headquarters in Monza, Italy who have honed their craft over decades working with Frette. Additionally, we collaborate with carefully-selected design consultants from the world of fashion and interiors that have assisted us in transforming into a global lifestyle brand that extends beyond bedroom and bath linens.
Joseph DeAcetis: Where is the product made and why?
Filippo Arnaboldi: Frette is synonymous with quality craftsmanship and extraordinary design. Our linens are handcrafted in Italy. We use the highest quality materials, including long and extra-long staple cotton, and collaborate with the most skilled artisans to consistently deliver a high-quality, luxurious product to our clients around the world.
Joseph DeAcetis: Let’s talk about product personalization. Can your products be customizable and what is new in this departments?
Filippo Arnaboldi: We offerbespoke services to our clients globally where they have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with our specialists to completely customize everything for their private residences, yachts and aircrafts. The services actually began with royal families – our archives include crests of the Borromeos and Borgheses. Today, the service extends to bedding, table linens, towels and more, offering a multitude of fabric and thread colors, lace borders, monograms and motifs.
Joseph DeAcetis: What is the relation between heritage and progress for a historic brand that is embracing younger generations?
Filippo Arnaboldi: Frette is a heritage brand and we will never lose sight of that. We have a rich, authentic history of collaborating with the world’s most illustrious clientele – from The Vatican, Orient Express and Titantic to more than 500 royal dynasties. While our designs, motifs and product assortment will continue to evolve to adapt to the ever-changing tastes of the modern consumer, we will never compromise the quality or craftsmanship for which the brand has been celebrated.
Joseph DeAcetis: You have the floor: Talk to my viewers about why they should try this brand now?
Filippo Arnaboldi: At nearly 160 years old, Frette remains at the forefront of luxury linens with an unwavering commitment to quality and craftsmanship. Our new design journey, Style of Living, offers consumers a vast assortment of products with extensive design possibilities to meet varying styles and tastes across generations. Though we’re continuously evolving to meet the demands and tastes of the modern consumer, Frette feels simultaneously fresh and classic right now, on the cusp of what will be an exciting year as we celebrate our 160thAnniversary.
Joseph DeAcetis: What are you future projections and growth strategy for the next few years?
Filippo Arnaboldi: We remain committed to offering high-quality products that speak to the evolving tastes of the modern consumer. Beyond that, we are focused on further growing all areas of the business within existing markets, especially our online store; expanding our presence in new and emerging markets like the U.S. as well as Asia; and further establishing Frette as a global lifestyle brand.
