The luxury group Prada has secured a 43.65 percent stake in the Superior SpA tannery in Santa Croce sull’Arno in the Italian province of Pisa.
The company is a leader in calfskin processing and has been a specialized tanner for the luxury sector for more than 60 years, Prada announced on Thursday. The management will remain with the current director Stefano Caponi.
The acquisition of a stake in Superior is another important step in vertically integrating the Prada Group’s supply chain through investments in infrastructure and human resources in order to expand know-how and control quality in all production phases, Managing Director Patrizio Bertelli said in the press release .
Other luxury fashion groups have also recently become increasingly involved in supplier companies from their supply chain in order to secure procurement. The fashion house Chanel bought jasmine fields for its famous perfume Chanel No.5 and took a stake in the knitwear specialist Paima.
What makes Superior particularly interesting for Prada is that the tannery has recently invested more in the digitization of processes and has established a sustainable development plan that focuses on circular economy, energy efficiency and the protection of water resources.
“This venture will allow us to accelerate our progress on important issues such as traceability of raw materials and transparency of our supply chain,” said Bertelli.