Translated by
Nicola Mira
Printed
January 10, 2025
Lorenzo Boglione, vice-president of Italian vogue group BasicNet, which bought a 40% stake in its sportswear model Ok-Approach to Permira final October, has commented on how the model has turn into synonymous in Italy with a selected product, a wind-breaker (very like ‘hoover’ now stands for ‘vacuum cleaner’ within the UK), by saying that “nowadays, on the list of things each kid would take for an outdoor trip there’s a K-Way, but if [the latter] became a luxury brand, this would no longer apply.”
The Ok-Manner retailer in Milan
Boglione was in Milan for the reopening of the native Ok-Manner flagship retailer, fully remodeled after a renovation. He spoke in regards to the model’s upcoming initiatives, designed to underline the enduring character of Ok-Manner, and to have fun its sixtieth anniversary. The subsequent Ok-Manner showcase will happen in February in Milan through the womenswear vogue week. In addition to staging a runway present, Ok-Manner will characteristic in an exhibition on the Permanente Museum, open to the general public. The sportswear model might be joined there by different manufacturers whose names have turn into synonymous with a product, in Italy and elsewhere, like Bic for pens, Chupa Chups for lollipops, Moon Boots for après-ski sneakers, Pongo for plasticine, and historic hat-maker Borsalino with its signature hat.
“We invited some 15 brands whose names, like K-Way’s, have become synonymous with products, and we worked with a separate artist on each brand, producing a cultural study that after Milan will tour the world, stopping over in Paris, Seoul and London,” mentioned Boglione. In London, Ok-Manner is about to open a retailer on the King’s Highway, step one of a global growth plan focusing totally on Europe. At the moment, the primary markets for the Paris-born model are Italy, France and Belgium.
In future, BasicNet intends so as to add to its portfolio, which incorporates Superga and Sebago, by buying different manufacturers with “an iconic product and history, as strong and recognisable as ours.” Boglione underlined that “we like the idea of not being simply a fashion product, our challenge is to always be ourselves, to have our own style. A style that must remain democratic. Although an investment fund specialised in luxury has bought a stake [in K-Way], nothing has changed: Our core product is a €140 jacket, because K-Way is and will always want to be an affordable brand.”
