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Elisabetta Franchi

As the fourth child of a single mother, Elisabetta Franchi knew from a very young age what hard work meant. Her beginnings were very humble, as she was raised in a one-income household in Bologna1, where she studied and discovered her passion and purpose: to become a fashion designer while improving the industries ethical aspects. 

Monti, P. (1970). Servizio fotografico.

Her first steps were at the very bottom of the pyramid, working as a retailer in a small shop. She got to appreciate the importance of consumers preferences and likings, creating a strong base in which she still stands: putting costumers needs before business goals. Nevertheless, it seems these two aligned perfectly, as the small boutique she opened in 1995 has become one of the most renowned Italian fashion houses. 

Despite her sudden success, she never lost sight of her purpose. While her profit increased, she proportionately committed to her beliefs, destining big part of her dividend to social and ethical questions. 

She joined business necessities with personal values building her empires headquarters out of an old pharmaceutical laboratory in Bologna. She made use of the construction and gave it a second purpose, respecting the principles of eco-sustainable architecture. Nowadays that eco friendliness is present in the production through the exclusive use of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper2. 


Elisabetta Franchi. (n.d.). Company and Showroom: Elisabetta Franchi Headquarters.
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As an activist for nature she created the EF ONULUS Foundation, present in some of the biggest anti-fur campaigns in retail by collaborating with LAV (Lega Anti Vivisezione)3 in Italy or the Island Dog Village EF and Action Project Animal4, fighting against animal mistreatment and providing most requested accurate labelling, for what she received a PETA award5. 

At the same time, Elisabetta is actively bettering the living wage problem. Although living wages are a human right, it is estimated that 80 million workers in the fashion industry are denied one6. By locating all of the labels production process in the headquarters, she is putting every contract under scrutiny by the Italian government, guaranteeing to give everyone a living wage and committing to the 17 SDOs with the “slow design philosophy”7. 

“Sustainability of craft, or the incorporation of hand-worked techniques, now referred to as ‘slow design’ has become central to the philosophy of eco-conscious designers.”

English, B. (2018). CULTURAL HISTORY OF FASHION IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES : from catwalk to sidewalk. bloomsbury.

This woman is one of the best examples of obstacle overcoming as well as one of the most dedicated women to her values and purposes in all business overview. Not only did she get to make her dream come true, but she also used it for the better and created an animal rights protection net that is now helping and saving thousands of lives.

Sources:

  1. Elisabetta Franchi. (n.d.). Company Profile| EN. [online] Available at: https://www.elisabettafranchi.com/uk/company-profile [Accessed 2 Oct. 2022].
  2. Guest (2020). ELISABETTA FRANCHI: ‘Oggi il vero lusso è scegliere di salvaguardare il nostro pianeta’. [online] Thegreensideofpink. Available at: https://www.thegreensideofpink.com/moda/2020/elisabetta-franchi-oggi-il-vero-lusso-salvaguardare-il-pianeta/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2022].
  3. Corsini, E. (2020). La storia di Elisabetta Franchi. [online] Marketing Semplice. Available at: https://marketingsemplice.community/la-storia-di-elisabetta-franchi/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2022].
  4. Action Project Animal. (n.d.). Indonesia. [online] Available at: https://www.actionprojectanimal.org/indonesia/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2022].
  5. PETA UK. (n.d.). Elisabetta Franchi si aggiudica premio PETA per scelte pionieristiche a favore degli animali – Media Centre. [online] Available at: https://www.peta.org.uk/media/news-releases/elisabetta-franchi-si-aggiudica-premio-peta-per-scelte-pionieristiche-a-favore-degli-animali/ [Accessed 2 Oct. 2022].
  6. www.condenast.com. (n.d.). Condé Nast – Glossary. [online] Available at: https://www.condenast.com/glossary.
  7. English, B. (2018). CULTURAL HISTORY OF FASHION IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES : from catwalk to sidewalk. bloomsbury.
  8. English, B. (2018). CULTURAL HISTORY OF FASHION IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES : from catwalk to sidewalk. bloomsbury.

Images:

  1. Monti, P. (1970). Servizio fotografico. Available at: http://digitale.beic.it/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?tabs=viewOnlineTab&ct=display&fn=search&doc=39bei_digitool6332825&indx=66&recIds=39bei_digitool6332825&recIdxs=5&elementId=&renderMode=poppedOut&displayMode=full&http://digitale.beic.it:80/primo_library/libweb/action/expand.do?vl(3134986UI0)=OR&vl(3134989UI1)=AND&gathStatTab=true&dscnt=0&vl(1UIStartWith0)=contains&vid=BEIC&mode=Advanced&rfnGrp=1&tab=default_tab&vl(D3134991UI2)=all_items&vl(freeText1)=Servizio%2Bfotografico&dstmp=1664788527041&rfnGrpCounter=1&frbg=&vl(D3134990UI1)=title&frbrVersion=&vl(3134985UI3)=images&scp.scps=scope%3A%28RD01%29&vl(1UIStartWith1)=contains&fctV=Bologna&srt=rank&vl(3134987UI0)=title&fctN=facet_local7&Submit=Cerca&vl(freeText0)=Serie%20fotografica&dum=true&fromTabHeaderButtonPopout=true [Accessed 3 Oct. 2022].
  2. A&E Magazine. (2015). Ten Minutes with Elisabetta Franchi The Designer of perfect ‘Made in Italy’ Prêt a Porter. [online] Available at: https://aeworld.com/fashion/in-focus/ten-minutes-with-elisabetta-franchi/ [Accessed 3 Oct. 2022].
  3. Elisabetta Franchi. (n.d.). Company and Showroom: Elisabetta Franchi Headquarters. [online] Available at: https://www.elisabettafranchi.com/eu/headquarter [Accessed 3 Oct. 2022].

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