On April 18, the 2024 “Luxe.CO Fashion Innovation and Investment Forum” was successfully held in Shanghai. Entrepreneurs, executives, and investors from financial and industrial investment institutions, brand startups, brand conglomerates, and internet technology giants from home and abroad gathered to share their practical experiences and insights from different perspectives. They deeply discussed how to delve into the fashion industry and truly discover and create value in the current complex and ever-changing socio-economic environment, combining their insights into the development status and prospects of the fashion industry in China and abroad.
In the final segment of the forum, Luxeplace.com invited three distinctive overseas fashion brands to share their experiences remotely via video. These are divided into three articles featuring each brand. Do check out the other articles for more details!
Italian Womens’ Wear Brand SA SU PHI
SA SU PHI is a creative collaboration between Ms. Sara Ferrero (left) and Ms. Susanna Cucco (right), born from their shared vision, taste, and aesthetics, as well as their relentless pursuit of the golden ratio (PHI), making women’s clothing more fitting, comfortable, and stylish. “SA SU PHI” in French means “just right.” The essence of the golden ratio is simplicity is beauty; the purer it is, the more expressive it becomes; the simpler it is, the bolder it appears.
SA SU PHI Founder & CEO Sara Ferrero:
“Hello, I am Sara Ferrero, the founder and CEO of SA SU PHI, a newborn luxury brand created by women for women, specializing in luxury knitwear. First, I would like to thank Luxe.CO for inviting me to the 2024 Fashion Innovation and Investment Forum. I started my career in the 90s as an investment banker in London, then moved to strategic consulting at McKinsey for six years. At the age of 32, I got my first managerial job as General Manager of Furla, where I stayed for five years. After that, I was the CEO of Joseph for five years and CEO of Valextra for six years. I also worked in private equity as a General Partner at Neo Investment Partners. Recently, I was appointed as an independent board member of Ferragamo.
After working for others for more than 25 years, I decided at the age of 50 in 2021 to work for myself and created my own brand, launching the first collection in AW22.
I was determined to build a brand that could pursue a long-term strategy in principle and in fact, reflecting my own core values: a brand created by women for women, always empowering and considerate. I invited my long-time friend and 18-year business partner Susanna Cucco to join in this adventure, and together we embarked on this amazing journey. The name SA SU PHI stands for SA-Sara, SU-Susanna, and PHI-the golden ratio, aiming to create an efficient, simple, and expressive feminine wardrobe.
SA SU PHI focuses on luxury knitwear and standalone items that can be freely interpreted by the wearer. While knitwear remains our hero product, the collection has quickly expanded beyond that, offering a unique and recognizable style that combines sophistication with ease to give an effortless chic attitude. Through graphic geometric shapes, architectural design concepts in fashion, and rich details, SA SU PHI products possess a bold sense of simplicity and an upbeat sense of propriety.
SA SU PHI’s design language incorporates architectural principles. The approach to garment-making relies on the study of volumes, the balance of full and void, and the play with light, inherently linked to modern architecture’s minimalist spirit, emphasizing lines and textures to create a sense of permanence.
SA SU PHI’s products are 100% made in Italy, using the most luxurious wools, silks, and cottons from top Italian brands like Colombo, Loro Piana, Cariaggi, Albini, Zegna, and Ratti. Italian craftsmanship sets the tone for the products, while a fully transparent supply chain is committed to sustainability.
We see a significant market opportunity in luxury knitwear by offering a modern alternative to more classic brands like Loro Piana and Brunello Cuccinelli. Our unique styling always puts women at the center, with our main competitors being The Row, Khaite, Toteme, Bottega, and Jil Sander. The main challenge for SA SU PHI is gaining visibility and awareness in a fashion world dominated by mega groups and brands.
In less than six seasons, SA SU PHI has gained an international presence in renowned luxury stores worldwide, including Harrods, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-A-Porter, Luisa da via Roma, Lane Crawford, Joyce, 10 Corso Como, Antonia, and Apropos, with over 60 accounts from the USA to Italy, Germany, the UK, China, and Japan. In China, we are currently exclusive to Lane Crawford with presence in Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Internationally, we are consistently growing season by season in all main markets through more accounts and deeper penetration within existing clients. In China, we hope to increase visibility and grow through our strategic partner Lane Crawford and expand with new accounts in the near future. It will take a few more years before we can have our own stores.
The name SA SU PHI encapsulates our brand philosophy: the golden ratio (PHI) means less but better, clean but more expressive, simple but more courageous, authentic, and modern beyond time and trends. Thought by women who are friends, mothers, wives, and committed professionals, the brand is dedicated to women who are friends, mothers, wives, and committed professionals, offering them tools to feel empowered 24/7.
SA SU PHI is working to achieve B Corp status, pursuing a fully transparent and certified supply chain, partnering only with the best of Made in Italy. Internally, we follow a no-discount policy, meaning we don’t apply seasonal discounts as we see our product as timeless and seasonless, though we leave our stockists free to follow their own discount policies. We also have an ongoing program to use leftover fabrics to pursue zero stock within 12 months.
We are also very devoted to the cause of women’s empowerment—our brand is currently 100% women-owned and run, with a 100% female staff. All but one of our suppliers are women-owned and run. Equality of job opportunities and pay among genders is still a far-fetched goal in Italy and the fashion business. We aim to change this!”
丨Image and Video Credit: Provided by brand
丨Editor: Maier
