Maurizio, Stilema celebrated 42 years in business this year. Why this name and what is your initial core business?
We really liked the name Stilema because, although it ends with the letter “a”, it is a masculine noun, which is also used to identify a style, and our aim was precisely to create our own in an activity that initially saw us specialise in the production in Italy of bags of all kinds in materials other than leather, hence from eco-leather to fabrics.
Your business has expanded but also transformed over the years from a production point of view, depending on the explosion of the Chinese market on which you have relied without losing your style identity in any way. How did you overcome this difficult challenge?
As the years went by, an even more demanding clientele demanded quality objects at more and more competitive prices than could be obtained with production made in Italy, hence the need to make our production in China.
I would call this decision almost a forerunner, because in the 1980s talking about China might have seemed a gamble in terms of offering a product of quality and good taste, but our commitment was to make a long selection among many factories, to find those that could guarantee us a product consistent with our style.
It was, of course, a very long and demanding challenge won thanks to our personal presence for weeks and months on the Chinese territory, also accompanied by specialised technicians, to transmit to the local producers we chose the concept of quality control, which has become indispensable over the years for the companies we work for, owners of major brands.
How did the idea of developing a section within Stilema, from 2017, totally dedicated to luxury packaging come about?
Our business has always been oriented towards the production of fabric bags, which are in fact also containers, so we thought of increasing our mouths of fire by adding paper boxes to these, which are quite related to our fabric packaging, and in this way we were able to come into contact with product sectors other than those we were used to, in particular cosmetics and perfumery, as well as jewellery and high-value food products.
What are your greatest assets in luxury packaging and which products do you focus on the most?
Notwithstanding the more than forty years of experience that we possess, our strength lies in continuous research into all the materials that we use for our productions, both for fabrics, trying to find more and more special solutions at non-exaggerated costs, and for paper with the same logic, in order to leave the imprint of our style in everything that we propose and then have produced.
It is certainly a continuous challenge, day after day, because in 2025 going to China to find factories that produce quality products is no longer a problem as it used to be, and in this regard there are trade fairs such as those in Hong Kong and Canton where all the best are exhibiting, but the difference has to be made in the research and development of ever more sophisticated and innovative solutions.
How do you ensure high and consistent quality standards in your Chinese plants, especially in the luxury segment?
We always guarantee the highest quality in our Chinese factories through our constant direct presence, in the sense that we have our own direct personnel on the ground 365 days a year, but of course we also use certified international bodies that can control all the various stages of the production process, from the initial raw material to the final inspection of the finished product with the subsequent shipment to Italy.
How are you organised with regard to the increasing focus on sustainability?
The focus on sustainability is certainly becoming more and more spasmodic, especially in view of the generalised demand from all European companies that are very sensitive to this aspect. For this reason, we have already been able to obtain important certifications a few years ago, attesting to our commitment in this direction, such as, above all in the area of cardboard box production, the “FSC” mark, a certification that allows us to trace back to the plant that was cut to make the paper.
What are your main challenges for the future in the luxury packaging sector?
When developing new projects, it takes a few years to consolidate and perfect all the various stages of the production process, from design to realisation, but we now believe we have achieved the necessary experience in the luxury packaging sector as well, in order to start entering the European market after our success in the Italian market, which, moreover, is one of the most difficult markets in the world due to the enormous taste and tradition that we have.
