MILAN — Anticipate to see some Venetian heritage gear at Chez Ma Tante, considerably of an establishment in Greenpoint’s restaurant scene, and at Cueva, the hip neighboring multibrand males’s retailer.
Barena Venezia, the workwear-nodding Italian model based in 1993 by Sandro Zara, has teamed up with each corporations to develop a capsule assortment comprising an overshirt, pants and matching apron.
The model will rejoice the collaboration on Friday night time with a dinner on the Brooklyn eatery for chosen friends, cementing its standing as a distinct segment heritage label for these within the know.
That is the primary in a sequence of buyer experiences Barena Venezia has deliberate to interact its international purchasers, and a part of the technique to increase its worldwide consciousness and attain.
The collaboration was masterminded by Davide Sambin Zara, one of many founder’s 4 youngsters, who joined the corporate as chief industrial officer this month after accruing expertise within the luxurious sector as worldwide head of males’s wholesale at Tom Ford and later as senior director of wholesale and made to measure for North America on the Zegna model.
His siblings, Francesca, Giovanni and Enrico Zara, already labored for the family-run firm.
“It’s an immense honor for me to affix my household’s enterprise,” mentioned Sambin Zara. “It represents a pure evolution of my profession path… I’ve educated my muscle elsewhere and that helps me navigate the internal workings of a model which, albeit smaller, has related industrial dynamics,” he mentioned.
Hinged on Venetian workwear, the model launched virtually three a long time in the past with a set of aprons. It has developed right into a full-fledged menswear model, whose providing is rooted in what’s billed because the “anti-suit,” similar to matching high and backside with workwear and utilitarian inflections — suppose pleated pants with overshirts, saggy trousers and bomber jackets.
In 2008 the corporate launched a womenswear assortment.
Each are produced inside miles of the corporate’s headquarters simply exterior Venice.
“Barena’s power is its product, completely Made in Italy, crafted from materials completely produced for us which are the results of intense analysis. These are prerogatives of the luxurious world, however we attempt to maintain our value tags accessible,” Sambin Zara mentioned.
Appears from the Barena Venezia capsule assortment for Chez Ma Tante and Cueva.
Courtesy of Barena Venezia
Largely wholesale-dependent, Barena Venezia is distributed by means of about 330 shops globally, primarily in Italy, the U.Ok. and the U.S. “We’ve been round for 32 years and have managed to faucet into worldwide markets, however there’s nonetheless lots of untapped potential, and our fundamental goal is to lift model consciousness,” Sambin Zara provided.
For one, Sambin Zara mentioned that the identify Barena refers to land formations present in lagoons that are periodically submerged by tides. “It’s not the Venetian heritage of palaces and the Grand Canal, it’s all in regards to the lagoon,” he famous.
Producing 10 % of its enterprise on-line, by means of a proprietary e-commerce website that’s set to be revamped to make sure an enhanced buyer expertise, the model is increasing its direct-to-consumer footprints. Germany has emerged as a number one market in on-line gross sales.
After attending Pitti Uomo for a number of seasons — for the reason that 2008 introduction of a womenswear line that now accounts for about 45 % of gross sales — the model moved to Paris, internet hosting showroom presentation within the French capital throughout trend week. Barena Venezia drops 4 menswear collections a yr and two ladies’s lineups.
In his consumer-centric imaginative and prescient, Sambin Zara mentioned direct retail is within the pipeline, with plans to open the primary retailer in two to a few years.
“I feel it’s an important step in our future… we can not wait too lengthy, as a result of it’s the one approach to actually supply an immersive expertise of the model. Our clients at the moment know Barena Venezia largely solely by means of the choice our associate retailers show,” he provided.
Just a few cities are high of thoughts, together with Milan, Paris and New York.
Barena Venezia 2025 ready-to-wear assortment.
Courtesy of Barena Venezia
Requested in regards to the affect of tariffs on forging forward with the Stateside enterprise, Sambin Zara mentioned that having labored and lived within the U.S. offers him a distinct perspective.
“I’ve a really clear imaginative and prescient on how resilient a rustic just like the U.S. may be, so I’m not too apprehensive, though this local weather of uncertainty just isn’t useful,” he mentioned. “I additionally see the model as positioned within the approachable luxurious house, which I feel and hope shall be gaining steam towards the slowdown in [pure] luxurious spending.”
In 2024, Barena Venezia’s gross sales stood at 9 million euros and the corporate expects a 5 % uptick in 2025.
