NEW YORK--Andrea Rubelli, recently named President & CEO of Donghia, looks to fine tune his company in the years ahead while keeping a watchful eye on potential acquisitions to help grow what is now half of all Rubelli Group sales.

Donghia now generates $50 million sales annually out of a total of $100 million that is Rubelli Group, he says. He sees his toughest competition in the USA from Kravet brands like: Brunschwig & Fils, Lee Jofa and Kravet Couture. Internationally, he sees Z+R, Pierre Frey and Colefax & Fowler as the tougher brands to beat. “Kravet is getting stronger in the USA but it is not as strong in Europe,” in his opinion.

Rubelli continues to visit Group headquarters in Venice monthly where he is a director and a close advisor to his father, Favoretto. The younger Rubelli also keeps on top of the company owned weaving mill in Como which produces 80 percent of the Rubelli line. 

Rubelli owns other brands like Dominique Kieffer, a French editor, since 2001. This is a natural line of cottons linens and wools. Five years ago, Rubelli bought the Armani Exclusive Casa license for home textiles. LULU DK and Hinson are other high end brands distributed exclusively by Donghia. 

Rubelli is always on the look-out for something that makes sense, he says.

“We have the latest technologies in our mill which is geared to produce short runs of many styles on Bromas and Karl Mayer warping machines and Smit looms made in Novicento, Italy,” he says. “There other Italian mills that will not survive because they have not kept up with the technology of the weaving industry and with the recession, even the most high end Italian mills are having some difficulties.”

“If the recession is short lived, then these mills will survive. If it lasts three to four years in Europe, then some more Italian weavers will close. It’s no longer just the competition from the Far East that makes it difficult. One must have the latest technologies to survive in this environment.. The mass market has gone to the Chinese and one must be able to survive on smaller product volume using highly efficient methods.” Italy still has a large supplier base of yarn producers and dyers, he says, making it still possible to produce a line in Italy

Rubelli is a regular exhibitor at Proposte. As a brand Rubelli itself is a high level fabric editeur and Donghia is a distributor of Rubelli and Sahco fabric brands in the USA through 12 showrooms and 12 other international Rubelli showrooms. Sales of Rubelli and Sahco fabrics alone are $20 million, he says.

Donghia is owned 51 percent by Rubelli and the balance by other partners. Bergamo, another name associated with Rubelli is today a distributor but at one time it was an actual mill in Pennsylvania that was closed in the 90’s. Bergamo was founded by an Italian but operated in the States, Rubelli said.  “There are many opportunities for us but we must find the ones that are worthwhile,” Rubelli says.