OTB's Renzo Rosso: “We must engage with AI, it must be a stimulus”

OTB's theory involves sourcing materials and workmanship within a 20-kilometre radius of the company's headquarters. This concept is to 'Made in Italy' what artificial intelligence and innovation are to the competitiveness and growth of the fashion industry. This summarises the strategy of Staff International, the production and logistics platform of the OTB Group (OTB), based in Noventa Vicentina, Italy.

The company manages production and logistics for several brands in the OTB portfolio, including Maison Margiela, Marni, Jil Sander and the Diesel collections of footwear, bags and small leather goods. It also holds an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Dsquared2. The strategy was explained on June 30 at the company's headquarters by Renzo Rosso, chairman and founder of OTB, and Mauro Marcos Fabbri, head of research and development at Staff International.

"I am a big fan of technology," explained Rosso, whose story will soon be told in a film and book

AI is the engine of development and the key to unlocking competitiveness. This was reiterated yesterday in Milan by the leadership of Confindustria Moda during its general assembly. Few can serve as a better example in this regard than Rosso. His company reported a turnover of 1.7 billion in 2025 and continues to hold its own even in complex times like the present.

It should also be noted that the company has always focused on foreign brands, acquiring them and fostering their growth. For example, it acquired a 51 percent stake in Victor & Rolf back in 2008, and now has full control. Jil Sander joined the portfolio in 2021.

Rosso stated: "I am a big fan of technology and we are doing a lot on this front, thanks in part to AI, from monitoring consumption to placements and design. Artificial intelligence should be seen as a stimulus, something to engage with. You have to input your own identity. The beauty is when you succeed in establishing a human connection within the technology. That is when something authentic emerges, something that carries the brand's DNA."

On the subject of AI, OTB and Google Cloud recently signed a strategic collaboration. This partnership introduces a new personalised shopping experience using Google Cloud's Virtual Try-On API.

The initiative represents a step in the company's global innovation strategy, using Google Cloud's AI technology to transform how client advisors interact with customers. The service is debuting with Diesel and Jil Sander in the US and Europe. It will expand to Marni and Maison Margiela in the coming months before being introduced in other markets. The group has designed this tool as a premium clienteling service, allowing advisors to share a visually curated and hyper-realistic preview of looks and outfits with selected clients, offering a 360-degree view of the product.

Rosso on Staff International: a unique combination of culture, technology and craftsmanship

Returning to Staff International, which was acquired by OTB in 2000, Rosso recalls that getting to know the company “was a beautiful journey. I discovered something unique: the culture and know-how of prêt-à-porter.”

“Here you find a combination of culture, technology and craftsmanship that I believe is unique in the entire world,” says Rosso, explaining that experts from major groups have recently visited the company.

Fashion legends have passed through Staff International, including Martin Margiela; Karl Lagerfeld; Vivienne Westwood; Ungaro; John Galliano; Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren; Dean and Dan Caten; Francesco Risso; Lucie and Luke Meier; and now Meryll Rogge, Glenn Martens and Simone Bellotti.

“These people leave a culture here.” It is therefore no coincidence that the company has decided to celebrate Staff International's 50th anniversary with a retrospective. The exhibition combines creativity, innovation and savoir-faire, celebrating half a century of 'Made in Italy' excellence.

The retrospective features 50 iconic garments spanning five decades of fashion. These include Viktor & Rolf dresses with hand-applied details requiring up to 100 hours of work; Dsquared2 creations embellished with hundreds of individually applied studs; and Marni pieces that reinterpret materials and surfaces with innovative techniques such as coating and paper or rubber-effect treatments.

In the future, the retrospective may be expanded and housed in a suitable venue to make it accessible to a wider audience. Furthermore, as OTB's chairman announced yesterday, Rosso's story will be told in a book and a film in the coming months.

Rosso: "What we produce here is very special compared to the rest of the luxury world"

“What we produce here is very special compared to what the luxury world normally does. Take a walk through the shops on Via Monte Napoleone, and then go into Margiela and Jil Sander. You will find a combination of materials and garment processing techniques that are truly special,” the OTB chairman proudly remarks.

“What also sets our workmanship and craftsmanship apart is the treatment, which comes from our ‘older sister’, Diesel. We apply treatments even to very expensive and refined materials, giving them a lived-in look that no one else can achieve.”

This know-how is driven by the creative directors of the group's individual brands and the work of Mauro Marcos Fabbri, head of research and development. He acts as a bridge between the desires of the masters who design the labels' collections and their actual creation.

“We interpret and create what is requested of us, both from a stylistic point of view and in terms of processing techniques,” he states. He adds that it is a challenging job where dialogue with the other party is crucial to achieving a unique result that can then be put into production. Each brand has small working groups dedicated to the collections, one for menswear and one for womenswear. There are also specific teams for knitwear, for example, as this product requires specialised training and experience.

The group has created an in-house school to ensure that this know-how is not only preserved but continuously enriched. The aim is to maintain the ability to develop new techniques and create surprising and unique products.

Last March, OTB launched the fifth edition of its Scuola dei Mestieri (School of Trades). The school is a training programme designed to pass on the artisanal and manufacturing knowledge that underpins 'Made in Italy' fashion to new generations. The project is based at Staff International, OTB's production and logistics platform. Here, this heritage takes shape daily, enabling the creation of iconic pieces for the world's most important catwalks and boutiques.

“We take on young people from fashion schools, but not exclusively,” explains Mauro Fabbri, product development director. “We want to see if the teaching method is effective enough to work even with people who have no prior experience in these areas.”

How the Scuola dei Mestieri works

The Scuola dei Mestieri is a place where heritage and innovation coexist, and where skills are passed on that go beyond traditional craftsmanship. Within Staff International, a distinctive expertise takes shape, combining technical skill, creative and design sensibility, and knowledge of industrialisation processes.

These are fundamental elements for transforming the vision of creative directors and designers into iconic garments and accessories. It is in this context that talented individuals are trained to interpret, translate and develop creativity. In line with the group's vision, the programme places particular emphasis on innovation and sustainability.

For the first time, the project will run in two annual editions. This expands the number of young people involved and further strengthens OTB's commitment to developing increasingly strategic skills for the sector. This decision confirms the group's desire to invest in the growth of new professionals. It contributes to the continuity of a wealth of knowledge that is a distinctive and essential resource for the fashion supply chain and for Italy.

Since the project began, over 50 young talents have been trained, with over 85 percent joining the group's companies

The academy's new structure will therefore host two classes, one that started in March and another starting in September. It involves a six-month course combining theoretical training with practical activities. Participants are involved in a professional internship that allows them to work closely with master craftspeople, fellow artisans and industry professionals. This provides them with a comprehensive overview of the product development and industrialisation cycle.

The programme includes practical workshops; sessions on materials and fabrics; in-depth studies on collection development, innovation and sustainability; and mentoring sessions with tutors and company masters. In the first three months, trainees focus on tailoring and garment construction. In the following months, they are guided towards specialisation paths in collection product development, pattern making and tailoring, based on their aptitudes and acquired skills. This experience allows them to acquire not only technical skills but also the necessary tools to interpret and concretely develop a creative idea within the luxury supply chain.

Since the project began, over 50 young talents have been trained, with over 85 percent of them joining the group's companies. This result demonstrates the effectiveness of the programme and the growing need for such professionals within the industry.