L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano L u x u r y l a b e l s obsess over fab- ric and cut, but t h e p a r t t h a t must never fail is the closure. A zipper has to look right, work every time, and arrive on schedule. That is where Lampo – Ditta G i o v a n n i L a n f r a n c h i built its reputation. Founded in 1887 in Palaz- zolo sull'Oglio, and long a quiet supplier to high fash- i o n , t h e c o m p a n y m a d e a fresh move in late 2024 by acquiring MyZip and launch- ing a Performance Division aimed at technical apparel and entering a new segment of the market. T h e c o m p a n y ' s p a t h t o modernity is rooted in quin- tessential Made in Italy tra- d i t i o n : G i o v a n n i L a n - f r a n c h i s t a r t e d w i t h b u t t o n s i n t h e l a t e n i n e - teenth century, as part of a local "button valley," where factories focused on the pro- duction of this then-indis- pensable object. In the 1950s the firm pivoted to zippers, completing the shift by the end of the decade and secur- ing Italian rights to a Ger- man patent that helped scale production. The base stayed t h e s a m e , P a l a z z o l o s u l - l'Oglio, and so did family ownership. Four generations later the factory still runs where it began. The Lampo soon became the gold standard for luxury apparel also because of the way it is produced: the com- pany is vertically integrated, s o i t w e a v e s t a p e s , d y e s t h e m , d i e - c a s t s a n d m a c h i n e s c o m p o n e n t s , p l a t e s m e t a l s , a s s e m b l e s chains and sliders, and even builds specialized tools. In other words, it takes care of the production chain from start to finish, which helps when a designer needs a cus- tom puller, a difficult finish, or a shade that must match l e a t h e r a n d f a b r i c a c r o s s batches. Crucially, it also h e l p s o n t i m i n g : L a m p o offers a Week Sampling Ser- v i c e o n c o r e s t y l e s , a n d brands often move from co- designed sample to delivery for capsule runs in three to four weeks. This is incredibly impor- tant in the name of sheer quantities and time frames, too: today's collections are f r a g m e n t e d i n t o c a p s u l e s a n d d r o p s , w i t h v o l u m e s swinging from hundreds to o n l y a h a n d f u l a n d c o m - p r e s s e d s h o w c a l e n d a r s l e a v i n g l i t t l e m a r g i n f o r error. In this fast-changing environment, Lampo offers short-run flexibility backed b y i n d u s t r i a l d e p t h : f a s t sampling on standard fami- lies, custom development when needed, and consis- tent quality across repeats. For brands, this translates into fewer suppliers to man- age and a single accountable partner, while for workshops it reduces uncertainty at the final fitting stage. However, this level of responsiveness would mean little without reliability, since closures sit where stress is greatest, and a zipper that fails under- mines the entire garment. Lampo addresses that risk, too, especially through tool- ing, surface treatments, and test protocols that serve as insurance for both makers and customers. This profes- sional commitment extends into the long term because, when a jacket or bag comes back for repair years later, the same chain, slider, and finish can still be sourced as the company kept both the d a t a a n d t h e p r o d u c t i o n capacity in-house. That level of continuity becomes visi- ble in the finished product: teeth close smoothly, the s l i d e r l o c k s a n d r e l e a s e s w i t h o u t h e s i t a t i o n , t h e puller aligns with the collec- t i o n ' s h a r d w a r e , a n d t h e tape shade matches the body fabric. Lampo's HR and business numbers are also key: the company employs around 250 people, more than sixty percent of them women, and in 2024 revenue held steady at about $46 million in a dif- f i c u l t c y c l e . M a n a g e r s explained it simply: even when retail slows, garments still need closures. The com- pany continues to invest in finishing and automation to keep consistency, quality, and speed, with up to seven- t y k i l o m e t e r s o f I t a l i a n - made zippers produced per day. All this is done paying a t t e n t i o n t o t h e e n v i r o n - ment, too, if it's true that, since 2015, Lampo has been part of Greenpeace's Detox p r o g r a m a n d r e p o r t s o n restricted substances and wastewater targets. Its tech- n i c a l s h e e t s r e f e r e n c e OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 (Class I where relevant), and the company has upgraded its plating plant to cut envi- ronmental impact and tight- en process control. On the i n p u t s i d e , c l i e n t s c a n choose recycled tapes and organic fibers; on the metal side, stainless-steel chains avoid galvanic coating alto- gether. Heritage is also impor- tant, as demonstrated by the fact that Lampo is registered in Italy's Historic Trade- mark of National Inter- est, a list for longstanding marks tied to domestic pro- duction. The badge doesn't s i m p l y s i g n a l q u a l i t y b u t also the idea of continuity and connection to place, all essential elements of Made in Italy, along with family o w n e r s h i p , a w o r k f o r c e anchored in the district, and a supply chain that fully pro- d u c e s a n d a s s e m b l e s i n Italy, all factors the Lan- franchi family still embraces today. It is on this solid founda- tion that the move into per- formance wear took place. In November 2024, Lampo acquired MyZip, a Brescia- area specialist in sportswear and technical closures, and launched the Lampo Per- f o r m a n c e D i v i s i o n t o pool R&D and production while keeping both brands visible. The goal is to bring luxury-grade finish and ser- vice to garments that face water, heat, or abrasion such as outdoor shells, uniforms, and protective workwear, without losing Lampo's Ital- ian base. For buyers, that extends choices beyond run- way pieces to high-stress, r e a l - w o r l d u s e . M e e t i n g t h o s e d e m a n d s r e q u i r e s engineering as well as craft, as teeth geometry and slider tolerances shape how a zip- per feels, while plating and polishing determine how it looks after months of wear. Lampo's trajectory has b e e n s i n c e t h e b e g i n n i n g anchored in family continu- ity and vertical production in Italy. Today, a public sus- tainability roadmap, and a recent expansion into per- formance, show clearly how a c e n t u r y - o l d f i r m c a n evolve while preserving its c o r e i d e n t i t y . T h e b r a n d name may remain invisible on the tape, yet its contribu- tion is felt each time a jacket f a s t e n s c l e a n l y o r a b a g glides shut, a small mecha- n i s m q u i e t l y e a r n i n g o u r trust. CHIARA D'ALESSIO Lanfranchi: the zipper that has powered couture since 1887 The "lampo" ("lightning") zip made by Lanfranchi is synonym with haute couture and, today, also with technical gear (Images created with DALL-E 2) IMPRESA ITALIA MADE IN ITALY TOP BRANDS BUSINESS & ECONOMY

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