In 1934, my father was the general manager for a fabric warehouse of a large cotton company, Galeazzo Viganò
which was one of the most important one in Italy, maybe one of the most important cotton companies in Europe.
In 1934, they fired 2,000 employees.
Among them was my father and my uncle, a tailor.
It was, of course, a coming together, and they join forces and started this company
and by 1940 our company had 100 workers.
I wanted to be a doctor, specializing in psychology.
I was going to decide the course of my future degree
when my brother made me change my mind and said "join the company"
and so I studied Economics.
The raincoat was the most common garment in the late 1950s,
being the most common clothing for a population who, during that decade, was worried about survival.
Later, however, people started feeling the desire to have more refined clothing than a raincoat.
And so, began the story of the suit, precisely in January 1970.
We chose the suit because it is a product that could be produced from January to December.
It was an act of conviction and determination even though it was a leap in the dark.
Because I knew nothing about clothes.
I started from scratch.
An elderly worker once mentioned to me the "ugiö" and I asked "What are ugiö"?
She looked me right in the eyes and said:
"But you..." — I had guessed — "...what have you studied so far if you don’t even know what eyelets are?"
This message knocked me out but turned out to be a good thing in my life.
Never consider yourself great, you're always a little frog.
Aim to run faster than others.
Another thing I’ve always tried to take care of: create a company that pays attention to details.
The secret of our success: being a company that is strong in its elements,
the elements of the product, punctuality of delivery, punctuality of payment, rigor —
always considering ourselves little frogs.
We invested heavily in the most modern machines.
We were the first company in Italy to install automatic electronic cutting
with the same sequences of production steps as a tailor but using machines.
We were the first to install computers alongside development.
For example, we can develop something like 120 cuts in half an hour.
Today we have a production capacity of 1,000 garments per day, tailor-made, made in our factories, made in Italy.
How do I feel at my age? Fine, I'll be 88 in a month.
Had I imagined getting here? No, but I've always wanted it.
I enjoy watching the company. The commitment is not to give orders, but suggestions.