Ruffo Closes For Restructuring

[helena]

ITALIAN leather label Ruffo is going to shut down its factory outside Pisa, laying off 80 employees, following the closure of its stores in Florence and Milan. Having fallen victim, according to company owner Giacomo Corsi, to "ever-increasing competition, and to whittling orders by Italian designers", the firm is now "restructuring", says WWD. As well as supplying leatherwear to the likes of Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli, Ruffo is famous for its Ruffo Research project which, with the help of fashion talent scout Joy Yaffe, launched the careers of Sophia Kokosalaki, Antonio Berardi and Veronique Branquinho. (March 23 2006, AM)


From Vogue.co.uk

 

[tricotineacetat]

These are indeed sad news, especially as Ruffo was one of the few innovators in the italian scene I dare to say, it was refreshing to see these emerging designers showing collections under Ruffo in Milan, an institution as this will be terribly missed... I hope they will come back soon!

 

[faust]

These are indeed sad news, especially as Ruffo was one of the few innovators in the italian scene I dare to say, it was refreshing to see these emerging designers showing collections under Ruffo in Milan, an institution as this will be terribly missed... I hope they will come back soon!

2nd. it's pretty sad. they have always made high quality product, and i liked the fact that they'd hire young designers (I believe Raf and AF Vandevorst also had stints with them).

 

[haoshcn]

I saw a bag by Ruffo two or three weeks ago on YOOX, it's listed in women section but quite unisex looking. Understated but still looks sort of distinctive. The price was like $300 something. I was quite tempted to buy since I have known Ruffo for quite a while, but couldn't made up mind quickly enough, and then after one or two days, it's gone! Now I really wish I had bought it.

 

[Scott]

Very sad. I always thoroughly admired their endeavours for Ruffo Research and was hoping RR would have similar impact it did in the earlier years,before stopping,but it just didn't cut it.

Btw,Joy Yaffe? She wasn't the talent scout responsible...Haidee Findlay Levin was the one responsible for getting all those designers in till RR stopped a couple years ago. Maybe they're mistaking that with the recent re-hashed RR??

 

[Lena]

arghhh, i had no idea..
why bad things happen to good brands? when will this stop?
Italian leather industry is falling apart, all those people losing their jobs..
i hope they get some money together and start again, Ruffo's leather items were the best

helena, thanks for bringing this in