The difference between price and value
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The key to success exists and it is called passion, refusal of compromise and coherence with a project and absolute respect for the customer. Authentic luxury lives in the dedication with which each single step of a production is faced, from design to manufacturing.
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The culture of a product is the soul of a dream. It is even more so if we apply this concept to an item of clothing, an accessory, an element of lifestyle. This is what expresses the difference in a price: the value, not the cost. Creativity, design, the choice of raw materials, the extraordinary ability of the artisans and manufacturing. Luxury, the authentic kind, lives in this essence. In the dedication with which each single step of production is addressed . Being born in Florence is a privilege that allowed me to grow up surrounded by the beauty of the architecture, the arts and crafts. I breathed the air of the artisan workshops and admired the sumptuousness of the buildings with their coffered ceilings that inspired me for the first collections. But I wanted to discover the secrets of each process, to try to express my vision in each product that bears my name. With a dogma: one hundred percent made in Italy, which goes far beyond the Made in Italy label. The international press often asks me if there is a key to success. Yes, there is. It is called passion . It is called refusal to compromise when it comes to quality. It is called coherence with a project and absolute respect for the customer.
Today the world of luxury speaks of an offer linked to the so-called “experience”. I wonder if this recipe, a product of the times, has not actually always been inherent in our DNA, as a brand and above all as a family. In fact, since I designed my first tie, I have chosen to present each of my collections by dedicating great attention to customer service and hospitality. Showing the quality and extraordinary ability of the craftsmen, my collaborators, who have always made the difference. It is no coincidence that I define myself as a designer and not a stylist. A fabric technician and not a guru. Because it is only the intrinsic knowledge of a product, the relevance of its being that makes the difference. It is the almost obsessive attention to detail, a hand stitching, a delicate finish like a chisel work that expresses the great beauty of each individual element of a wardrobe, mostly male as in the case of my production . I do not claim to define a specification for a luxury product. I limit myself to sum up my experiences, which have been necessary to express my vision made of balance and experimentation, of being able to innovate while respecting tradition.
This applies to every element of the wardrobe. The hand-printed silk tie, the shirt with the finest cotton in the world, the suit with exclusive fabrics, the hand-stitched leather goods, the Florentine silverware, the in-house goldsmithing, the great tailoring that I want to strengthen with a school for future masters. The result of this journey of mine, extended over the years thanks to the leadership that my sons Niccolò and Filippo have earned in their respective fields of action, is today gratifying, but it took the sacrifice of many years to be able to give a soul to the product .
Stefano Ricci, designer. founder and president of Stefano Ricci SpA
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