MILAN — Despite the pouring rain outside the sprawling and modern Ferrari offices in Milan, it’s all sunshine inside.
In an exclusive interview a few days after Charles Leclerc’s win at the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix on the Monza circuit for Scuderia Ferrari, chief brand officer Carla Liuni and creative director Rocco Iannone are all smiles. “This is a moment when we are starting to see positive signs and reap the fruits of the work done over the past two years,” Liuni said.
Reporting to chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna, Liuni joined Ferrari in September 2022 from Pandora, where she was chief marketing officer, and before that she was leading global marketing and communications at Bulgari. At Bulgari, Liuni oversaw the different business units, from jewelry to accessories, aiming at brand harmonization, consistency across all channels and communication planning. Similarly, at Ferrari she has been tasked with ensuring the cohesion of the brand and helping to further elevate it throughout its three segments: lifestyle, sports cars and racing.
“I am a brand builder at heart,” she said simply, crediting her experience of almost 20 years at Procter & Gamble, where she was global general manager of the Prestige division.
“The lifestyle pillar contributes to nourish and fuel the uniqueness of the brand,” said Liuni, adding that she approached Ferrari “with humility, which is fundamental with such an ambitious project.” With a chuckle, citing one of Vigna’s quotes, she added: “We have to keep the four wheels on the ground.”
That may be, but it is true that Ferrari owner John Elkann and the Agnelli family’s holding Exor N.V., which has stakes in Hermès International’s China project Shang Xia and Christian Louboutin, have not pulled back on investments in Ferrari’s luxury fashion line. Iannone, a Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana alum, was named creative director in 2019 and, after a first fashion show at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello in 2021, the brand has become a regular at Milan Fashion Week.
The spring 2025 show will be held on Saturday and, in his seventh collection for the brand, Iannone feels it will offer “a more intimate point of view.”
Researching and innovating fabrics has always been key to the designer, and the spring collection is expected to be no different, with plenty of tactile, even sensual materials, he said. Cue a bomber with a ’70s inspiration created in leather that has an effect similar to briarwood.
Keeping the history of the brand always in mind, Iannone reworked the tool box used in Maranello for a new trunk bag peppered with tiny rivets and metal fringe, employing leather that is given a second life.
Ferrari’s new bag for spring 2025.
From the start, Elkann said this would be a long-term project, and Iannone was appointed to create collections that would shift from Ferrari’s previous merchandising approach to ones that speak of design, fashion and lifestyle, reflecting the brand’s luxury positioning.
Since her arrival, Liuni has been building a team “to fuel this power brand, one of the most desirable in the world. So it’s a responsibility and an opportunity, but it is fundamental to avoid compromises because the execution must be up to the standards of Ferrari’s excellence. We are never content, always saying the next day will be better than today,” she said.
The synergy between Liuni and Iannone is palpable and she said it is key to have a creative director on board who “leads with consistency and expertise, as creativity must be disciplined, otherwise it’s chaos, as Rocco says.”
Believing in staying away from “silos thinking,” Liuni has built her team, including heads of commercial and marketing, product development, visual and architecture, and restructured the brand’s supply chain.
She contended that the development of a Ferrari luxury fashion brand “was a natural choice, reframing and extending the product pyramid, with a high quality assortment and made-to-order pieces down to gadgets, but all part of the same lifestyle, whatever the price point.”
There are now 14 Ferrari stores worldwide, and additional directly operated units are a focus, as is the expansion of the U.S. market. New stores in New York and Miami are in the pipeline over the next two years. By the end of 2024, the Rome store will be relocated from Via Tomacelli to the landmark Spanish Steps. In fact, Liuni said “it’s not the number of stores that makes the difference but the right location. There is no rush.” A London unit is in the pipeline.
The Ferrari store in Maranello, Italy.
Liuni underscored that “this is an inclusive brand with millions of fans up to the hyper-luxury clients. There is a very important sense of belonging and community, which is a competitive advantage. We want to increasingly be closer to them and anticipate their needs.”
Asked to comment on the reasons for launching a luxury fashion line, Iannone said, smiling, “Why not? It’s not a question of if but of how. This is the most natural thing we could do, and it’s only fair that there would be some skeptics. Novelty brings skepticism. This is a new and experimental project and it was clear from the beginning it would take time.”
He said the architecture of the assortment for men and women has been expanding, and the bags category after one year has seen a surge in sales. “After all, Ferrari has the authority, given the use of leather inside its luxury cars,” he pointed out.
Iannone also remarked on the increased interest in Formula 1. “It’s been glamorized and has become the next red carpet,” he said.
Liuni cited some key moments for the brand, ranging from the Casa Ferrari pop-ups at the Grand Prix race tracks or at Le Mans, to the presence at key automotive moments, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Ferrari Cavalcade shows, dedicated capsule collections and galas, such as the one hosted for Ferrari owners at the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach in May to present two new car models and a new fashion collection, “with assortments integrated in the experiences.”
“These are all storytelling moments, which our clients adore, and they get to talk to Rocco, who transmits his passion for the brand,” Liuni said.
Rocco Iannone and Carla Liuni
In Miami, the brand took over the hotel for the entirety of the Grand Prix weekend in May. She said that 30 one-of-a-kind, demi-couture garments costing up to 35,000 euros each were available and sold out. The brand’s “most discerning clients,” she said, had no hesitation about purchasing the new collectible Ferrari Endurance Book celebrating its racing history available at the eye-popping price tag of 18,000 euros. However, Iannone said that “our customers are fluid, they may just want a souvenir. Consistency is what is important.”
The news that Lewis Hamilton, who has won seven Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship titles, would leave Mercedes-AMG Petronas to join Scuderia Ferrari in 2025 has contributed to bringing additional buzz to the brand and high expectations with the “tifosi,” or fans, around the world. Given Hamilton’s fashion credentials and his association with different brands, from Valentino to Tommy Hilfiger, Liuni said that he and Leclerc will “legitimately be our best ambassadors and nothing is precluded, but the collaboration must be natural.”
She said nothing was finalized at the moment regarding future fashion initiatives involving Hamilton.
On the occasion of the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari presented a limited edition of nine Maranello Clutches realized in collaboration with Leclerc, inspired by the shape of the Daytona SP3 car, and retailing at 9,000 euros each that sold out in less than 24 hours. The brand also launched a new made-to-order service to personalize that accessory.
Thanks to the hype around the Italian Grand Prix over that three-day weekend, Ferrari’s Milan store attracted 15,000 people, with long lines starting an hour before opening time, said Iannone proudly.
“This role at Ferrari has taught me the value of time,” Iannone said. “Ferrari has the time and the courage to express itself in the right way, with exclusivity, craftsmanship, uniqueness and elevation always leading the way.”