Dondup

Jeans has thousand souls. One of them is reflected in the low cut style that has a definite paternity: Massimo Berloni and Manuela Mariotti. A man and a woman who have devoted years to the making of denim, concentrating their philosophy in creating Dondup brand.

A label that is found within 800 high-end jeans stores, competing with brand like Dsquared and John Galliano.

Dondup does not have a long history. In fact it was founded in the year 2000.

None the less more than thirty years of experience have transformed mere jeans, that are always the MUST, into a total look woman, men and children with the romantically taste of a "rocker", as defined by Manuela.

Massimo Berloni, after years spent to work together with the icon of jeans, Adriano Goldschmiedt, presided for years to achieve the brand Comfort, he than moved to Block'60, and has lent his advice to Durango.

Then, the idea gained along with a group of friends, to give birth to a brand mystical name (not intentionally): Mingyar Dondup was a Tibetan lama whose main thought was “All men are equal, in race, in color, in faith. Only intentions and actions of each of us are important”. 

Of course, the intentions of Manuela Mariotti, creative part of the business, were those of forging jeans that "were fitting well on Mediterranean Women."

She, from Luxembourg, creator of two collections totally hand-made, with a biting taste and elegantly street in their DNA, has begun a morphological study of the body: hips, knees, pelvis. Moreover, the trick to lower the pockets born within the walls of Arcadia, the company that creates, produces and distributes Dondup.

Result of this attention, the Music Hero model, a perfect archetype that still remains the best selling of the company. 

And than were the washing, using champagne enzymes, spices, blend denim cashmere born four seasons ago.

The extension to a total look was natural, having faith to the disenchanted style, but by modern details visibly craft. This has enabled the company to go from 0 to 48 million euros over seven years.

The values of the work hand-made invest 90% of the garments and the emotional aspects are given by the contrast between the modern soul, but slightly eccentric structure, deeply craft that an audience of expert immediately grasp: These are the arrows of the Arch of Dondup.

The success of the woman collection is replied, almost by osmosis, on the man collection, born two years ago with the same features and on young child line, which faithfully reflects the mood for the adult market performance, even here, surprising: almost 8 million euros in a year of life.

The company. Its projects

Dondup was born in Fossombrone, in Marche (east centre of Italy), where Arcadia srl is located: a place where melt minimal design and antiques details, where collections are designed, industrialized and distributed. 

In addition to the holders, there are 38 people, for a production that annually reaches nearly one million pieces.

At canonical two collections a year, are flanked micro-collections every 40 days, so that the brand can have seasonally two, three groups of various proposals. 

In Italy, the brand is represented by 9 agents.

Next opening is a branch in the United States, a great challenge for the CEO Massimo Berloni, sure to have a product that has profoundly altered the concept of denim. 

The 35% of revenue Dondup, 48 million euros expected in 2007, comes from jeans, the remaining 65% from the collections man woman, structured in a total look.

The child line, born a year ago, has produced a business of 7.8 million euros. 

New purpose: "consolidate the brand, strengthen brand image and let us know better" - summarises Massimo Berloni.

In Europe, a strong interest in the English market will focus on the next marketing efforts, maintaining very firm position on countries like Germany, Scandinavia, Spain, Russia. 

The same priorities will be maintained in Japan and in the United States.

Currently, the Italian market covers 70% of revenue. 

Among the projects of the brand, that now is present in 800 stores man/woman and in others 250 with the child line, there is also the opening of a flagship that shows the world Dondup with its uniqueness and lifestyle.

Now, Dondup is preparing to bring in the market a dyeing that has its history: the ford, a plant used, in 1400, to dye and then abandoned for cheaper indigo.

In this way is born the first series of dyed jeans with ford extracts, Dondup label, in collaboration with the University of Pisa and the Lamoli Museum of Color. A chromatic vibration that would liked to Piero della Francesca…