Kontatto

founded by

Federico Ballandi, Stefano Trecchi & Gianluca Goldoni

belongs to

Federico Ballandi, Stefano Trecchi & Gianluca Goldoni

about

Kontatto Maglieria was established in 1995 by Federico Ballandi, Stefano Trecchi and Gianluca Goldoni, three partners who have successfully steered the company to this very day.

The name Kontatto is an Italian play on words inspired by the desire to express the way knitwear rests con tatto, or �delicately�, a contatto or �against� the skin; also, the use of the K instead of the C is a direct reference to a text-messaging custom adopted by youngsters today.

The company does not believe in rigid hierarchical structures. Indeed, the three partners fell naturally into the role that best suited their personal aptitude and bent: the President Federico Ballandi looks after the commercial and brand development side of things, focussing therefore on the company�s image, while Stefano Trecchi and Gianluca Goldoni work behind the scene, managing production, the lifeblood of the company.

Kontatto started out with just three employees, but the firm soon began to grow: to date, taking in all elements of business, it boasts a workforce of hundreds of people, each contributing to the creation of its collections.

Its position within the Centergross of Bologna, a highly important centre for the commercial and financial development of the fashion sector, has played a strategic role in the firm�s success. Kontatto�s turnover is ever on the increase, with consolidated revenue in recent years equalling around 20 million euro, for a total of one million five hundred items sold per year.

The product development strategies focus on the creativity of the style department, an essential in-house unit, enhanced by continuous research trips to London, Paris and New York aimed at granting the product an increasingly fashionable and meticulous image. Kontatto avails of several distribution systems: agents, one-firm representatives, warehouses in Bologna, Milan and Napoli, which sell on a continuous daily basis to retailers. Through this widespread distribution network, the brand has been able to penetrate the entire Italian market, and beyond: abroad it is sold in Portugal, France, Belgium, Greece, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Japan.

The sales strategy is based on compelling communication, fully in line with Kontatto�s added value: a carful attention to its target audience. To this end, the company avails of a simple and direct product image: in all its advertising campaigns, the brand is the absolute protagonist, enhanced in such a way as to strike home with the end consumer. And in the future � In addition to the already numerous franchises in existence throughout Italy, Kontatto is to open its first proprietary single-brand shop on 21 March, in Milano Marittima.

2008 is to mark a turning point for the firm: after years of hard graft mainly focussed on production and distribution, Kontatto has decided to make the leap in terms of brand growth, enlisting specialised communication professionals to consolidate a longstanding but still relatively unknown success story. The company�s main aim is to become a brand capable of drawing attention to itself, and whose visibility and style are parallel to none.