{"id":777046,"date":"2025-12-01T05:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T02:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=777046"},"modified":"2025-12-01T05:50:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T02:50:00","slug":"lorenzo-bertelli-and-andrea-guerra-on-pradas-manufacturing-history-and-welcoming-versace-into-the-fold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=777046","title":{"rendered":"Lorenzo Bertelli and Andrea Guerra on Prada\u2019s Manufacturing History and Welcoming Versace into the Fold"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Executive Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Lorenzo Bertelli and Andrea Guerra on Prada\u2019s Manufacturing History and Welcoming Versace into the Fold<\/h1>\n
By <\/span>Tiziana Cardini<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

December 1, 2025<\/p>\n

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    Hands-on training in leather craftsmanship at the Scandicci facility.<\/span>Photos: Courtesy of Prada Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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    Lorenzo Bertelli believes that artificial intelligence and artisanal intelligence are the twin engines powering the future of the fashion industry. Proof of this vision lies in Prada\u2019s continued investment in training the next generation of skilled talent across its companies.<\/p>\n

    For the past 25 years, the Prada Academy \u2014 an in-house training school established at every one of the group\u2019s manufacturing sites \u2014 has been shaping the expert workforce behind everything, from leather goods to ready-to-wear. to footwear. And its reach is about to grow even further: with the upcoming 100% acquisition of Versace from Capri Holdings set for December 2, the Academy is poised to welcome a new chapter and an even broader pool of young artisans eager to learn their craft.<\/p>\n

    During a tour of the pristine Scandicci facility \u2014 one of the group\u2019s most important production hubs for Prada and Miu Miu leather goods near Florence, and home to about 375 employees, 71 per cent of whom are women \u2014 it was apparent that luxury manufacturing is far more than an assembly line. \u201cThis is industrial craftsmanship,\u201d noted Andrea Guerra, the group\u2019s CEO, who will work alongside Lorenzo Bertelli as the latter steps into the role of executive chairman to reshape Versace, a brand set to benefit from Prada\u2019s industrial savoir-faire<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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    Rosa Santamaria Maurizio, Prada\u2019s chief people officer with Lorenzo Bertelli and Andrea Guerra.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Prada Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    \u201cEighty percent of what we do is made of hands, thought, and heart,\u201d Guerra noted. \u201cLeather, a living and rather temperamental material, requires an eye sharp enough to catch differences that would escape even a forensic detective. Without that borderline-obsessive care, Prada products simply wouldn\u2019t exist,\u201d he insisted, praising the art of slowness: \u201cIn luxury, there\u2019s no room for haste.\u201d<\/p>\n

    If craftsmanship moves slowly, the prices of luxury goods certainly haven\u2019t. Guerra was unfazed. \u201cThey reflect the intrinsic value of our products, the way they\u2019re crafted,\u201d he argued, making the case that excellence has its own economics. \u201cAnd so far, our consumers have understood that, and rewarded us.\u201d The numbers seem to agree. The Group closed the period of the nine months ending 30 September 2025 with net revenues of \u20ac4.07 billion, marking a solid 9% year-on-year increase and extending Prada\u2019s streak to 19 consecutive quarters of growth. Retail continued to prove its strength: retail sales reached \u20ac3.65 billion, also up 9% year-on-year, supported by strong like-for-like performance and a healthy contribution from full-price sales. The third quarter grew 8%, in line with the second quarter, despite lapping the exceptionally strong 18% comparison from the same period last year.<\/p>\n

    At the Prada Group Academy, the company\u2019s School of Craft, from 2021 to 2024, they launched 29 courses, training 571 students \u2014 a sort of small brigade of excellence. This year, seven new programs kicked off, with 152 enrolments, a healthy 28 per cent compared to 2024. Is craftsmanship the new luxury flex?<\/p>\n

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    Students refining leather-making techniques during their Academy practice in Scandicci.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Prada Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Those who enter the Academy embark on a journey of continuous learning, a permanent gym for both hands and mind. Yet some trades still remain underappreciated. \u201cThere are beautiful crafts that simply aren\u2019t perceived as such,\u201d Lorenzo Bertelli noted. The long-cultivated myth of the glamorous office job \u2014 shiny badge, ergonomic chair, the whole package \u2014 is now colliding with a less glossy truth: many white-collar roles are alarmingly easy to automate.<\/p>\n

    After a session in which Academy apprentices spoke about the perks and challenges of training to become the next generation of craftsmen, Bertelli and Guerra sat down to talk about the future of craftsmanship, the company\u2019s evolving industrial model, and the opportunities ahead. Below is an edited part of this conversation.<\/p>\n

    Vogue<\/em>: Lorenzo, let\u2019s talk about the appeal of manual work. Young people don\u2019t seem to consider the idea of working in manufacturing anymore. Everyone wants to go to Bocconi (the prestigious Italian University of Economics) and then go into consulting, but the reality often turns out to be quite different. How do you make craftsmanship attractive again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Lorenzo Bertelli:<\/strong> I think it has a lot to do with the marketing of blue-collar jobs versus white-collar ones. When people picture office work, they imagine themselves living the Wolf of Wall Street<\/em> fantasy. In reality, most of them end up drowning in spreadsheets and PowerPoints. And as technology advances, it\u2019s increasingly replacing processes that, until yesterday, were the bread and butter of office workers. But one thing technology can\u2019t replace is an artisan\u2019s ability to work with their hands. We see it not only here in Scandicci but across the company.<\/p>\n

    Take Luna Rossa, for example: it needs welders, electricians, highly specialized technicians. What this technological shift is revealing is that many jobs once considered \u201chigh value\u201d, like office roles or consulting, are proving surprisingly easy to automate. Meanwhile, the manual trades are gaining even more value. The problem is simply that no one is telling this story well. These are the jobs that will endure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Today, there\u2019s a shortage of skilled workers in countless sectors. Anyone who\u2019s tried to renovate a house, like myself, knows the struggle: good carpenters, plumbers, builders, they\u2019ve all become unicorns. Knowing how to work with your hands is a priceless skill, and we need to elevate it properly. After all, Made in Italy is built above all on manufacturing. We must make this world as attractive as possible by valuing it and creating the right conditions for it to thrive. It\u2019s still early days, but I\u2019m convinced that in the next 10 to 20 years, the paradigm between white-collar and blue-collar work will be completely flipped on its head.<\/p>\n

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    Craft learning in progress at Prada\u2019s Scandicci leather-goods hub.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Prada Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Vogue<\/em>: Can you clarify what you mean by \u201cparadigm shift\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bertelli:<\/strong> I remember that years ago, every other parent was sending their kids to learn coding because coding was \u201cthe future\u201d. And now we\u2019ve discovered that AI can code \u2014 and maybe you didn\u2019t need all those coding classes after all. In today\u2019s world, the real superpower is being agile and flexible. But there is one area I believe is both stable and built to last \u2014 and Italian history proves it: manufacturing.<\/p>\n

    Sure, iron rods today are made by CNC machines, whereas 50 years ago they were hammered out by a worker on an assembly line, in conditions that were, let\u2019s say, less than thrilling. Since AI is going to eliminate a lot of low-value-added tasks \u2014 and by that I mean repetitive, monotonous, mind-numbing work \u2014 it will actually create more opportunities to elevate the professions where skilled hands make all the difference. That could be a chef, a pastry maker, an electrician or someone in manufacturing. So that\u2019s what I mean by a paradigm shift: I see a world where, thanks to AI taking over the boring stuff, we can finally recognize the true worth of the people who work with their hands. They\u2019ve always been there; we just weren\u2019t appreciating them properly.<\/p>\n

    Vogue:<\/em> How are you approaching technological evolution and the integration of AI into production processes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bertelli<\/strong>: I\u2019m not worried, because the manual expertise of our Academy students, as I mentioned, will be our most precious asset. Let me share an anecdote: as you know, we\u2019re working on the space suit for the upcoming Artemis III mission in collaboration with Axiom Space. When we went to Houston, Texas, we had all these images in mind \u2014 Nasa, space suits, unimaginable capabilities. And yet, the one thing they genuinely needed our help with was\u2026 sewing. They didn\u2019t know how to stitch the suit\u2019s patterns, which ones to use, or where to put them. Our contribution turned out to be essential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    And I believe that, increasingly, technology will allow us to gain enormous efficiency and eliminate even more of the low-value tasks from people\u2019s daily work. Of course, there will be a transition period: some jobs will inevitably disappear, and in the short term, this shift will create friction and disruption. But in the long term, I\u2019m convinced it will elevate human work even further, especially in manufacturing. I also believe the public and social sectors must do everything they can to ease this transition and make it as painless as possible.<\/p>\n

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    Leather trimmings.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Prada Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

    Vogue:<\/em> The Made in Italy production process has recently come under scrutiny due to allegations of malpractice within the supply chain. How has your group approached this challenge, and what measures have you put in place over the years to minimize risks that some other fashion players are currently facing with their third-party suppliers?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Bertelli:<\/strong> Unlike much of the industry, in our group, the runway has always existed hand-in-hand with the factory. From day one, our approach has been that design and production are inseparable. When you talk to managers from other companies, factories can seem like a distant world, something abstract that doesn\u2019t fall under their responsibility. That disconnect has contributed to many of the issues making headlines today. For us, it\u2019s a matter of culture and heritage. From day one, my father believed in owning factories. My parents\u2019 story embodies this approach: my mother, Miuccia, dedicated herself to design, while my father, Patrizio, focused on the factories.<\/p>\n

    This philosophy runs through our entire organization; it\u2019s in our culture. In our Milan offices, business is never discussed without considering the factories, production processes, and their broader impact. Many companies simply don\u2019t take this hands-on approach. Over the years, we\u2019ve already confronted many of the challenges that are now creating problems elsewhere, not because we were inherently smarter, but because we tackled them early. At the time, some even questioned why we would take on such a labor-intensive, costly path when it would have been easier to outsource production and focus on higher margins. It\u2019s an ongoing commitment. Regular inspections, supplier audits, and direct engagement with our factories are constant necessities. But in our experience, there\u2019s no shortcut: understanding your production and being hands-on at every level is the only way to safeguard quality, ensure ethical practices, and maintain the integrity of the Made in Italy label. That\u2019s been our approach from the very start.<\/p>\n

    Vogue:<\/em> What does it take to safeguard \u2018Made in Italy\u2019 and let its story of excellence resonate with authenticity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Andrea Guerra:<\/strong> We will remain incredibly strong when it comes to Made in Italy. Italy\u2019s problem isn\u2019t the \u201cMade in\u201d, nor our manufacturing, nor our ability to innovate. The real issue is selling our strong points, being able to tell a story, do marketing, engage consumers, and run stores all over the world. Italian companies have always been extraordinary at making things, but, unfortunately, not equally extraordinary at selling them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Lorenzo Bertelli with Prada Academy students at the Scandicci facility.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Prada Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

    Companies like Prada, which decided more than 30 years ago to step directly into the world of end consumers, are the exception rather than the rule in Italy. I always use this example: if I ask a French or British entrepreneur, \u201cTell me about your business,\u201d they\u2019ll take me to one of their stores, their restaurants, or their hotels. If I ask an Italian entrepreneur the same question, they\u2019ll take me to their warehouse. That\u2019s the difference. In Italy, the tradition of running shops, restaurants, and hotels has always been rooted in family businesses, but we haven\u2019t really taught the next generations \u2014 at least not enough, or maybe only recently \u2014 how to evolve in consumer management. Today, Italy likely produces around 80% of the world\u2019s luxury goods, yet Italian companies are responsible for not even 20% of the sector\u2019s revenue. That\u2019s where we lost ground, and where we need to improve, treating this sector as a central pillar of Italian industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Vogue:<\/em> Lorenzo, today you\u2019re celebrating 25 years of this Academy, and next Tuesday, Versace officially joins your group. Will there be a Versace Academy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bertelli:<\/strong> It\u2019s clear that Versace will now have the opportunity to fully step into our world of industrial production. This means not only accessing a more structured and sophisticated manufacturing ecosystem but also benefiting from processes, expertise, and capabilities that can elevate the brand\u2019s craftsmanship and operational strength. Here in Scandicci, we\u2019re already getting ready to welcome Versace. The Academy will remain a group initiative: after all, whether we make a bag for one brand or another, it\u2019s still the same craft. The philosophy stays the same, and we\u2019re continuing down this path.<\/p>\n

    From an investment standpoint, we\u2019ve never hit pause. For example, in Milan, we\u2019re expanding our work with high-end leather, creating an even more sophisticated workshop. Another major investment is a brand-new facility in Tuscany, near Piancastagnaio, for handbags. We\u2019re building it from scratch to make it fully cutting-edge in terms of sustainability. This facility will also bring together a range of our local workers. Beyond that, we\u2019re working on several other projects in the Marche region related to footwear and knitwear production. From 2019 through the end of 2024, we\u2019ve invested over \u20ac200 million to strengthen our industrial infrastructure \u2014 and in 2025 alone, we\u2019ve put in another \u20ac60 million.<\/p>\n

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    Learning the fundamentals of leather craftsmanship at Prada\u2019s Scandicci facility.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Prada Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Vogue:<\/em> How do you envision easing Versace into the Prada fold without dimming its famously bold glow?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bertelli:<\/strong> First of all, we need to get to know the people, the team, and understand what evolutions may be needed. I see phase one for Versace as purely a learning phase. Only after that will we form opinions, gather perspectives, and decide how to move forward. But the absolute priority is meeting the people who actually make Versace run. Nothing more glamorous than that \u2014 for now. Acquiring Versace is an important step, but a calculated one. It doesn\u2019t expose us to major disruptions, and it\u2019s a risk we can easily afford to take. Which means we have the luxury of patience: doing things slowly, carefully, and being willing to try, try again\u2026 and then try once more.<\/p>\n

    Vogue:<\/em> There are quite a few fashion brands out there that could use both a creative jolt and a financial reboot. The menu is long. So why choose Versace, putting \u20ac1.25 billion on the table?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bertelli:<\/strong> Gianni was the man who made a traditionally bourgeois, ultra-elite sector suddenly pop. He brought aspiration into a world where aspiration didn\u2019t even exist. In my view, it was a revolution comparable \u2014 dare I say \u2014 to what Michael Jackson did in music: he took something aspirational and made it wildly popular, glamorous, and culturally magnetic. Versace still has that fascination today. And importantly, it\u2019s completely complementary to the other brands in our group \u2014 there\u2019s no overlap in identity, no risk of one stepping on the other\u2019s toes. It\u2019s a universe of its own. That\u2019s why it stood out in a sea of options.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

    Source URL: http:\/\/vogue.com\/article\/lorenzo-bertelli-and-andrea-guerra-on-pradas-manufacturing-history-its-future-and-welcoming-versace-into-the-fold<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Executive Interviews Lorenzo Bertelli and Andrea Guerra on Prada\u2019s Manufacturing History and Welcoming Versace into the Fold By Tiziana Cardini December 1, 2025 Hands-on training in leather craftsmanship at the Scandicci facility.Photos: Courtesy of Prada Group Lorenzo Bertelli believes that artificial intelligence and artisanal intelligence are the twin engines powering the future of the fashion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":777047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-777046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=777046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/777047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=777046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=777046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=777046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}