Word: ratti
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Nowadays his daughter Donatella (Doni) Ratti, who became Ratti's president in 1996 and CEO in 2001, has to cope with different problems: namely, casual Friday morphing into every day (i.e., the banishment of the tie, which represents 25% of Ratti's earnings), the weak dollar and, most important, China. "It's become very difficult," says Donatella, 50. "People don't want to pay our prices. They compare them to China's." Such a comparison irks her, since China lacks Ratti's quality, quickness and creativity and isn't interested in small quantities...
Sitting under a vast photograph of her father's hand?"My father was always very careful about how he touched silk"?Ratti is ensconced in her office in the new headquarters, built in 1999. Like her father, Ratti is a sharp businessperson with a passion for the creative process. She pays frequent visits to clients like John Galliano at Dior and listens to their ideas and vision to glean ideas of her own. "You listen a lot, but you also propose a lot," she says. Depending on the designer Ratti is dealing with, it can go either way. Some...
Inside the creative hub of Ratti, the modern, laboratory-like offices are divided into two sections. The research area is remarkable for its pile of fabrics, ranging from a new camouflage design on organic cotton to a tricked-up tweed for Chanel. Several women discuss the properties of swatches while others sit at their desks talking to clients...
Over in the printing factory, most of Ratti's fabrics are printed by the silkscreen method, which employs a template system. The more colors a print has, the more screens are needed (a Louis Vuitton scarf covered in tiny flowers requires 24). There is now also the more compact and modern inject-printing system, in which the image is printed directly from the computer. "It's less expensive for a few meters, but more expensive when printing a serious amount," says Vincenzo Cucinella, who manages production...
...weeks leading up to the fall and spring ready-to-wear shows, the factory works overtime trying to accommodate designers' last-minute ideas. "It gets crazy," says Cucinella. "It's always, 'I want this now,'" he says, imitating his designer customers. "But keeping clients satisfied is part of the Ratti service...