MILAN — Chiara Boni La Petite Robe’s new vision is taking shape.

After last year’s ownership reshuffle and the exit of designer Chiara Boni, who founded the fashion brand in 2009, the company opened a new chapter under the lead of president Monica Belardinelli.

Sitting down with WWD to outline the pillars of the new course, Belardinelli said that over the past year the company focused particularly on the product, now designed by an internal team but also fine-tuned with the help of new professional figures who joined the company.

“We now have a merchandising collection manager, who’s key in defining the guidelines and skus, as well as collecting feedback from the market,” said Belardinelli. “This has always been a company putting great attention to the consumer, and that’s why we felt the need to expand our offering.”

Best known for its signature feminine and flattering frocks crafted from sustainable jersey fabrics and its dazzling occasion wear, the brand has been extending its catalogue to more daytime solutions, ranging from cotton shirts and knitwear to a stronger focus on tailoring and outerwear.

“We don’t feel the need to name a new creative director at the moment. Creativity for us comes by way of a product that performs sales-wise,” said Belardinelli pragmatically. She expressed her satisfaction with the “good sell-in results” of the fall 2025 collection, which sported the new approach with daily separates including stretch cotton shirts with feminine floral embellishments and blazers with bejeweled buttons. 

“We just revisited our codes without forgetting our heritage. Our iconic jersey pieces will be always part of the collection and they’re still our point of strength, but separates like pants and jackets are now just as popular in our stores,” said Belardinelli. She added that the company reported a 15 percent increase in sales in the first three months of 2025 versus last year, “which is encouraging and means that our efforts have been acknowledged.”

The ultimate goal of the catalogue extension is to give a more comprehensive offering in the stores, as the brand also eyes an expansion in distribution. Currently, the company has flagships in Milan, Rome and Monte Carlo, which opened on the tails of the change of ownership last summer. Belardinelli said a fourth unit will be unveiled in Italy by the end of the year, without disclosing the exact location.

She didn’t exclude the U.S. from the brand’s retail ambitions, considering this represents the main market for the company. To be sure, Chiara Boni La Petite Robe has historically boasted a strong footprint in the U.S. Belardinelli herself has played a pivotal role as she was the first to grasp the potential of the market when she joined the company as chief operating officer in 2010 and helped the founding designer in launching the business Stateside.

Belardinelli recalled how organic placements on Oprah Winfrey and “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts fueled a word-of-mouth promotion that propelled the label’s popularity. Now, sales generated in the U.S. account for 60 percent out of the company’s total revenues, which totaled 20 million euros in 2024, on par with the prior year.

In addition to the wholesale channel, Belardinelli underscored the importance of the brand’s e-commerce in the U.S., even if overall sales generated online only account for 5 percent out of total revenues. To enhance its efficiency and speed in serving the American customer, this week the company also opened a new logistics center in New Jersey. 

After the U.S., Europe and Middle East are the best-performing markets for the brand, with Belardinelli eyeing further penetration in countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Greece. 

The company has 140 wholesale doors globally and is looking to boost that business in Europe. In the Middle East, Belardinelli is targeting a retail presence to generate more brand awareness around the brand. 

In the same spirit, the company also upped its efforts in leveraging red carpet moments, as most recently proved by placements at Cannes Film Festival, with models including Barbara Palvin, Shanina Shaik and Ashleigh Baugh wrapped in Chiara Boni La Petite Robe dresses at events in town. Natasha Poly and Marianne Fonseca were also seen wearing the brand in daylight, further signaling the label’s new daily approach.

In the same vein, the company will focus more and more on accessories, offering an appealing entry point to its world, which is positioned in the affordable luxury segment. A bag style with a metal hoop handle and a 3D floral appliqué and pumps with detachable decorations have recently popped up in the collections, but Belardinelli said these were conceived more to complement the looks. A deeper commitment to the category and the development of dedicated lines are on the agenda, as the executive sees these as key to engage with a younger consumer. The brand is looking to widen its core customer base, which is currently aged 40 to 50, by targeting Millennials, too. 

About a potential return to staging fashion shows, Belardinelli said that presentation or event formats will be favored for the moment.

As reported, the founding designer exited the fashion brand as result of different strategic views when the company was bought out by the Germanetti family, a long-standing investor, last summer.

In particular, the Germanettis, which had owned 50 percent of the shares since 2009, acquired the remaining 48 percent stake in Chiara Boni La Petite Robe from the designer and 2 percent from investor Boris Collardi. The family had first acquired a minority stake in the company in 2005.