Made in Italy Cannot Live on Nostalgia Alone

This article stems from a reflection inspired by a LinkedIn post by Emanuele Orsini, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7479883711921090560/

Orsini starts from a significant fact: foreign companies continue to believe in Italy. In 2025, 197 major investment projects were carried out by foreign-controlled companies, compared with 140 in 2023. These businesses also generate 21% of Italy’s national turnover, account for 35.8% of Italian exports and employ more than 1.8 million people.

They do not simply bring capital. They become part of the country’s production chains, strengthen their expertise, connect them to international markets and can become a driver of growth for SMEs and local communities.

The issue, as Orsini points out, is what these companies find when they arrive: bureaucracy, uncertain timelines, regulatory complexity and conditions that risk making the country less competitive, despite the quality of its industrial system.

This reflection also applies to Made in Italy.

It is not enough for the market to continue believing in Italy. We must be able to demonstrate, through our products and the actual performance of our supply chains, why it should continue to do so.

Made in Italy still holds enormous value. But writing it on a label is no longer enough.

For years, those three words have evoked quality, expertise, craftsmanship, taste and manufacturing excellence. It was not merely a communication strategy. Behind them stood industrial districts, pattern makers, technicians, workshops, textile mills, tanneries and suppliers capable of solving complex problems.

The risk today is treating that reputation as something we can simply live off.

Producing in Italy does not automatically make a garment well made. It does not guarantee that the right fabric has been chosen, that the fitting process has been handled carefully or that production will maintain the quality of the approved sample.

A mediocre garment does not become excellent simply because it was made in Italy.

It may sound harsh, but anyone who works closely with product development knows this.

Value Becomes Clear When the Garment Is Worn

During a fitting, rhetoric does not count for much.

Once the garment is on the body, it reveals within minutes what works and what does not. A sleeve may twist. A shoulder may fall incorrectly. A pair of trousers may match the required measurements and still have the wrong balance.

I remember a jacket that looked correct on paper. The measurements matched the specification sheet, and there were no obvious issues with the pattern. Yet once worn, it felt stiff and unnatural.

The problem was not the size.

It was the combination of fabric, internal construction and shoulder volume. Revising just a few elements was enough to produce a completely different garment, without changing the original design.

This is where expertise becomes visible.

Not in a dramatic gesture, but in the ability to understand why a product is not working and to intervene before it reaches production.

The customer may not be able to identify the exact correction that was made. But they will feel the difference when they wear the garment.

Quality often lives in details that cannot be seen in a photograph: the cleanliness of the internal construction, the stability of an edge, the position of a pocket, the way the lining behaves, and the consistency of measurements between the approved sample and final production.

These decisions may appear small, but they are not.

Producing in Italy and Thinking Like an Italian Supply Chain

A supply chain should not operate as a simple sequence of instructions.

Design creates, product development translates, the supplier executes and production delivers. On paper, it may sound straightforward. In reality, when departments fail to communicate, problems emerge too late and become more expensive to resolve.

A good supplier is not simply someone to whom a technical specification is sent. Suppliers understand materials, machinery, lead times and manufacturing constraints. They are often the first to recognise whether a detail will be unstable, whether a fabric will support a particular construction or whether a solution is too fragile to be reproduced consistently.

Involving them only at the end means giving up part of their expertise.

I have seen companies speak extensively about craftsmanship while negotiating with suppliers solely over the last cent. I have seen fittings reduced because the calendar was running late, and unresolved issues passed on to production simply to avoid delaying the collection.

Yet the final product was still presented as an expression of Italian excellence.

These two approaches cannot coexist for long.

Thinking like an Italian supply chain means connecting creativity and technical expertise, while also considering costs, timelines, materials and manufacturing capabilities. It means understanding that industrialising a garment does not mean diminishing it.

It means making it repeatable without losing what makes it special.

A prototype may work perfectly as a one-off piece. The real test comes when it must be produced repeatedly while maintaining the same fit, feel and construction. That is the stage at which the strength of the project is truly measured.

Customers Need to Understand What They Are Paying For

Customers do not need to know every technical step. But they should be able to understand why one garment costs more than another.

It is not enough to speak about tradition, heritage and excellence.

We need to explain what is actually inside the product: why a particular material was chosen, how much work a construction requires, how fit is controlled, what skills are involved and how quality is verified before delivery.

When the price increases, the story must be supported by reality.

Otherwise, Made in Italy risks becoming a postcard: beautiful, recognisable, but trapped in the past.

Tradition has value only when it continues to generate expertise.

Today, Made in Italy should represent a precise method: understanding the product, listening to the supply chain, correcting mistakes, protecting quality and explaining value to the customer with honesty.

It does not need more nostalgia.

It needs to be demonstrated.

Are we explaining Made in Italy, or are we simply taking it for granted?

Romina Tosi

Disclaimer

The views expressed above represent my personal interpretation of publicly available information and, like any interpretation, may be shared, debated, or challenged.

The information referenced comes from public sources available at the time of publication, including official documents, union communications, press articles, and materials accessible to anyone. I do not disclose confidential information or facts learned through privileged access. I do not reveal protected information, nor do I attribute unlawful conduct to individuals or companies.

Any reference to specific cases is intended solely to provide context and analyze dynamics affecting the broader industry. It is not intended to target individuals or particular businesses.

Observations regarding industrial strategies, financial decisions, and production models fall within the right to express opinions and commentary on matters of public interest. They remain personal assessments, not definitive judgments.

Not all companies operate in the same way. Alongside businesses that may deserve criticism, there are many others that work with seriousness, consistency, and long-term vision.

If you notice any errors or inaccuracies, please let me know. I will be happy to review and correct them where necessary.

The purpose of this reflection is to encourage discussion and debate, not to cause harm to individuals, companies, or organizations.