MILAN – For Caruso, exhibiting at Pitti Uomo is tantamount to an “homage to the wholesale distribution.”

Marco Angeloni, chief executive officer of the Italian brand, said wholesalers “keep us on our toes, as we are measured in terms of quality, price, appeal and services against our competitors. The conversations and exchange with them are key.”

Angeloni has spearheaded several changes at Caruso, including tapping Max Kibardin as creative director in January last year. Touting the industrial prowess of the company, based in Soragna, Italy, which also produces sartorial designs for 15 luxury brands, the executive said the company has become “more flexible and more efficient.”

In an interview at the brand’s Milan showroom, Angeloni admitted “2024 was a very difficult year for the sector and, despite the challenges, sales of the Caruso brand grew double-digit,” he said proudly. However, for the company as a whole, revenues decreased 7 percent to 37.1 million euros, impacted by the changes and disruptions taking place at several of the luxury brands Caruso produces for.

“We have hired more than 100 people in two years, our productivity is growing, we have improved our profitability, generated excellent cash flow, and we have no debt, we are healthy and self-sustained, but there is no doubt that after the post-COVID shopping binge and the price increases, this is like a hangover period,” he said. “For the first time in luxury, we are talking about prices.”

He cautioned against any “production and ethical shortcuts” to boost the bottom line and trumpeted creativity as the sure-fire solution for a brand. While acknowledging Caruso collections evolve each season, “there is no need for any kind of revolution in our case. With a know-how of more than six decades, we are credible because we are specialists, and even big spenders now want authenticity, quality items that last in time yet with a twist of novelty.”

Caruso has been investing in cementing the relationship with its customers. “The interaction makes the difference, buyers and customers need to associate a face, a person with a brand,” contended Angeloni.

Caruso was founded in 1958 in Soragna, outside the city of Parma, a one-hour drive from Milan, and is controlled by Lanvin Group. Under this umbrella sit brands ranging from Lanvin and St. John to Wolford and Sergio Rossi.

Angeloni spoke of “playful elegance” as a leitmotif for the brand, defined as “never over the top. We don’t want to impose a shape but rather let the body feel liberated,” he said, shrugging his shoulders to show the ease his own deconstructed jacket allowed.

While continuing to pursue the use of exclusive fabrics, for spring the brand included new sophisticated details such as a “barchetta” breast pocket, curved and shaped as a boat, with deep gussets, soft peak lapels and Mandarin collars.

The silk suit with a jacquard motif of a siren, paying tribute to the Greek mythological Parthenope, proved the sartorial expertise of the brand.

Angeloni showed double-breasted suits made with blends of linen, mohair, silk and wool, which sparkled with threads in different colors. The new donegal in linen and wool with red silk flames generated new hues.

“The suit is here to stay,” he claimed. “For the younger generation, the suit is disruptive,” Angeloni said. Flicking through images on his portable phone, he showed how the brand has also been worn by a number of actors and performers, from Jonathan Roumie and Glen Powell to Matt Bomer and longtime fan Robbie Williams.

The color palette at Caruso is always delectable and this season is no different, seen on the soft silhouette of the Aida jackets in super fine wool, also blended with silk and linen; on the cotton voile shirts, at times embellished with floral patterns; on the Safari jacket Saba in 100 percent wool seersucker.