MILAN — Made in Italy is a symbol of quality all over the world but its manufacturing pipeline is being impacted by geopolitical challenges and economic slowdown. So several companies have formed conglomerates to face the challenges and preserve the nation’s artisanal heritage.
One example is Holding Moda (HModa), a fashion division of the private investment company Holding Industriale (HIND), which produces for many of the world’s leading luxury brands.
Claudio Rovere, founder and president of HIND and HModa, said the latter “was created to bring together virtuous companies that represent the excellence of Italian manufacturing, with the aim of celebrating Made in Italy and preserving the valuable artisanal knowledge that makes us famous worldwide.”
Cue the two-day event HModa held last December in Milan called “Co-Lab 18.” There, for the first time, a group of 18 Italian manufacturers controlled by HModa presented a selection of garments and accessories they designed for the occasion.
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The companies, which specialize in different categories, are located in the Tuscany, Veneto, Marche, Emilia Romagna and Campania regions. Among them, for example, is Uno Maglia (specialized in the production of jersey garments), Alex&Co (leather garments), RBS (design and production of technical sports garments and outerwear), Albachiara (lightweight women’s clothing) and Project (for denim and sportswear garments).
Within HModa, the companies are organized into four business units, according to their core category —apparel, footwear, leather goods and fabrics — and they are able to provide brands a vertical and complete offer from the raw material to the final product. Furthermore, through this project, HModa aims to increase logistics support and verticalization.
In terms of sustainability HModa is committed to pursuing the principles of sustainable development, social responsibility and transparency by aiming to fully satisfy the regulatory requirements of Intertek, the world’s leading global quality assurance company.
Last year, HModa aimed at aligning with the European taxonomy and the new CSRD — Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive — with initiatives for traceability along the value chain and implementation of projects for improving energy efficiency. For 2025, the group plans to implement optimized circular economy strategies for the group’s companies and initiate projects to offset unavoidable emissions.
The HModa companies included in this context of collaboration feel supported, especially as Tuscany, the region where 10 of the group’s companies are based and which has always been a historic manufacturing hub, is being affected by the current challenges.
“We see 2025 more as a year of settlement in which, carefully, we aim to reinvest the profit in sustainability and traceability projects,” Rovere said, predicting a recovery in 2026 in terms of sales.
Simona Finelli, cofounder of Rilievi Group Srl and director of the Co-Lab project, added: “From the beginning, we envisioned Co-Lab as a blank canvas for HModa companies to tell a story where experiences, cultures, skills and visions intersect. Co-Lab means being part of a group, and its creations visually represent how the savoir-faire of one company complements that of the other.”
With a turnover of 310 million euros at the end of 2023 and a specialized workforce of around 1,500 employees, HModa is also committed to transmitting artisanal knowledge through the initiatives of the HModa Academy with many offices spread throughout Italy. The first edition of Co-Lab (named Co-Lab 16) was held in March 2024 in Paris at the HModa Showroom and Lab. It led to the acquisition of two additional companies and to a second edition, Co-Lab 18, presented in October 2024, again in Paris.
For the occasion of the event in Milan, HModa in collaboration with director Chiara Sabatini and cinematographer Yann Stofer presented the short film “Stelle” (stars) that is about the “unknown stars” behind the companies and garments. Through the documentary Sabatini highlighted the passion and talent of the artisans.
