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Luisaviaroma has named Tommaso Maria Andorlini as its new chief executive, effective immediately, as the Italian multi-brand retailer aims to cement its positioning in the global luxury market.
Andorlini is the founder and current owner of Playground, an Italian multi-brand fashion retailer with two stores in Florence and Prato. He also established both e-commerce agency FFW and sneaker platform SOTF in 2020.
Luisaviaroma said the appointment aligns with its long-term vision and growth strategy. Under Andorlini’s leadership, the retailer sees “a strategic opportunity” to “create a new point of reference in the digital fashion industry”, said Andrea Panconesi, founder and president of Luisaviaroma, in a statement. “Shared values and complementary skills will pave the way for exciting new possibilities and challenges.”
Andorlini succeeds Alessandra Rossi, a veteran of Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, who became CEO in October 2021. A month earlier, the company — which had been independent for more than 90 years — took a €130 million investment from Milan private equity fund Style Capital. The move came as a spate of multi-brand retailers, including Mytheresa, End and Ssense, ramped up their financial resources as competition heats up amid a pivot to e-commerce. Rossi left the business last week.
While some luxury e-commerce players sought aggressive growth by expanding to offer a big portfolio of brands for a larger consumer base, Luisaviaroma stayed true to its target niche while managing to grow sales. Luisaviaroma doesn’t publicly disclose revenue, but said in 2020 it brought in €180 million in annual sales, a 30 per cent year-on-year increase at the time. E-commerce currently accounts for 95 per cent of revenue, according to the company.
Up next is international expansion, starting with the US. Luisaviaroma, which currently has two stores in Florence, has signed a long-term lease for a 13,000-square-foot New York flagship in Manhattan’s Noho that is expected to open this year. It previously tested the US market with a pop-up concept store in 2018.
In June, Luisaviaroma staged a star-studded runway show in Florence in collaboration with British Vogue that featured 50 archival looks from brands including Fendi, Versace and Bottega Veneta, designed to boost the retailer’s brand awareness at home and abroad. “It’s branding, that’s the reason,” Panconesi told Vogue Business. “That’s what we are interested in. We want to represent the Italian luxury way of life to our consumers around the world.”
“I am honoured and excited to join Luisaviaroma as the new CEO,” said Andorlini. “This company has a strong legacy of innovation and excellence, and I am looking forward to working with the team to explore new frontiers.”
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