BULCIAGO, Italy — While some Italian mills are struggling to maintain a full workforce and stay open, Mode says it has turned profitable in less than three years according to Marco Guggi one of the three owners of this new enterprise which started life in 2014. The three Mode partners are Pietro Bertarini, who manages research and development; Marco Guggi, who handles sales and marketing and an unidentified third partner who owns the ‘compact’ jacquard and dobby weaving mill located here between Milan and Como. “There is a constant and strong interaction among the three of us making a powerful machine of ideas,” Guggi asserts. He and Bertarini came out of a career at Imatex to start up Mode. Mode just finished showing its line in Como diagionally opposite the Villa Erba during Proposte. “With each of us having over 30 years in the industry and thanks to our strong connections, Mode has built in a very short time a nice global distribution with a selected, yet strong customer base both at the distribution and furniture manufacturing level,” Guggi continues. “South East Asia with the exception of Japan is the sole area we have not really tapped into yet. This is due to the particularity of this region in terms of products and needs.” “Our mission is to develop and nourish the growth of a new European textile generation with a strong image, fresh handwriting and an open mind to innovation yet commercial in its own right,” Guggi says. “Core price points of the Mode line are between €6,90 to €15,50. We then have a very selected range of niche items that can go from anywhere from €16,00 to €35 per meter,” he says. Mode is mainly a residential fabric specialist but at Heimtex last January, Mode launched a range of 100% acrylic solution dyed items for outdoor use “with a 5 year guarantee against sun fading. With this range we are targeting a slightly different segment of the market and contract. In fact most of the outdoor items are stock supported which for contract is a must.” Guggi says that Mode has woven to order ranges as well as a selected range of stock supported items. “Overall the woven to order items are delivered in about four weeks,” he adds. “As the ranges do cater to a wide selection of buyers we have both 100% natural fibers and blends of natural and synthetic. On our natural fiber ranges we have in the vicinity of twenty different warps where we can service standard woven to order items by the piece.” “For personalized collections we try not to go above minimums of 100 meters unless very unusual constructions and/or colors are needed. Under these circumstances we work on a case-by-case basis. The stock supported items instead are shipped the following day for orders received by noon of the previous day.“ “We have a bunch of very selected agents in specific regions even if we do cover most territories directly. We are not looking for new agents at this moment though we have received plenty of offers to be represented in the four corners of the world.” “As our customers become more and more successful with our products we will invest into additional unique ideas & techniques. “We are thrilled with how we have grown in such a short time and have regained most of our global customer base to which we are very grateful for supporting us since day one.”