groups of European luxury in search of craft

  European luxury makers buy production is a serious shortage of skilled labor, the historic brands at a competitive disadvantage with production facilities in low-cost fashion leaders told Reuters this week are overcome.

Italian textile leaders Ermenegildo Zegna, Loro Piana Marzotto and this week bought a majority stake in Pettinature Tues Verrone, a combing mill specializing in fine wool, cashmere and special fabrics for tailored suits their needs.

Beyond the Alps began the vertical integration of manufacturers of luxury in France as Chanel, Louis Vuitton (LVMH.PA) and Hermes (HRMS.PA) more than ten years and is still ongoing.

Chanel, the embroiderer Lesage famous milliner Maison Michel Lemarie and specialist plume has acquired, in December last year Montex Parisian embroiderer and is constantly on the lookout for other potential vis-à smaller acquisitions.

"The provision of in-house production is important when the quality who want to keep required for luxury goods," Toni Scervino, CEO of the Italian fashion house Ermanno Scervino, told Reuters detail and Consumer Summit on Milan on Thursday.

In 2002, Ermanno Scervino family three manufacturers of high fashion, lingerie bought, children wear stockings. Seamstresses and textile workers collaboration with the designer at the company's headquarters on the outskirts of Florence.

"There is a tendency for companies to acquire luxury artisans to secure their supply chain," Elisabeth Ponsolle des Portes French luxury lobby Colbert told Reuters.

Luxury makers are under pressure, craftsmen, that young people are not attracted to keep the craft work requires a lot of glamor and catwalks to see as low on the social ladder.

"The lack of craftsmen is our biggest problem, and the schools are not enough," the top Scervino told Reuters in Milan.

Ponsolle Gates said some luxury groups in France have also struggling to artisans sufficient rent to fulfill the demand. In addition, retirement expert craftsmen and is not replaced.

"We try to tell young people that they promise to areas that are of great value and that these contracts has become a passion," Ponsolle Gates told Reuters in Paris.

To encourage young people to consider going into craft, some luxury brands such as Cartier and Roberto Cavalli have created their own departments to train craftsmen and others like Hermes signed partnerships with schools access to the best graduates.

Hermes employs about 3,000 in areas such as silk, leather.

Florentine designer Roberto Cavalli's own animal and floral motifs which he is famous, said the CEO Gianluca Brozzetti group Reuters.

The group also opened a Florentine-based department with artisans produce prototypes for leather bags and shoes, he said.

In France, in the last five years, the Comité Colbert has invited thousands of students from Paris to production and invited to visit representatives of the luxury companies to make presentations in class.

Brands participating in the initiative of the Colbert Committee include jewelers Cartier and Boucheron, Hermès, Guerlain and watchmaker Breguet.

In Italy, the manufacturing crisis by a prolonged recession, many companies close the LED is exacerbated.

The number of Italian textile firms by 4 percent to more than 21,700 since 2009, according to the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce.

The number of Italian shoe manufacturer fallen by half since 1962, according to Il Sole 24 Ore daily. Italy is for the manufacture of shoes for brands such as Christian Dior (DIOR.PA) Yves Saint Laurent (PRTP.PA) and Oscar de la Renta, famous among other things.

Scervino said the crisis should make more young people for jobs in production. "The demand is the best motivation," he said.