Page 25 - #203 November 2025

INTERVIEW

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Timeless

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With more than 165 years of history,
Borsalino stands as a symbol of Italian
craftsmanship and timeless style. In conversation with RLI,
the Managing Director Mauro Baglietto highlights how the
iconic hat maker continues to blend heritage, artistry and
innovation to stay relevant in today’s global luxury market. 2

Borsalino is an iconic, centuries-old Italian luxury hat cities such as Barcelona or Madrid in Spain are the target, as is are extremely important and that they implement these within the 5
manufacturer founded in 1857 by Giuseppe Borsalino in Alessandria, every other major city across Europe. They will then look to grow business in such a way that it not only expands the global reach of the
Italy, known for its exceptional craftsmanship, high-quality felt and their portfolio by having stores in tier one cities such as Beijing and company, but that it continues to respect the heritage and prestige Left page main image. Alessandria, Italy 2. Malpensa Airport, Milan,
straw hats and timeless elegance. The brand, which has endured Shanghai in China. of their offering. On the subject of AI, the Managing Director says Italy 3. Cannes, France 4. Paris, France 5. Venice Airport, Venice, Italy
changes in ownership, continues its tradition of artisanal excellence “We consider our sites a central point where customers can that it can be an incredibly useful tool. The hat industry, more than
by using traditional manufacturing processes, high-quality materials capitalise on our whole collection,” highlights Baglietto. “They are most, relies on testing how the product looks and feels and this is
and incorporating contemporary trends and collaborations with service points for guests and a place where they can physically come where AI tools assist. These platforms offer customers a chance to allowed the business to stand the test of time? For Baglietto, it is
fashion designers. and try on our products and work with our trained staff to find the see how the products could look, it can help highlight the best shape simple, he feels it is value. That link between quality and value for
“We consider ourselves the ambassador of the Italian savoir-faire. perfect hat and the perfect fit.” hat for the contours of their face and assist in people making the right money is the reason customers have come back for so long as well as
Today we still operate with care and craft. To produce one hat, it takes To continually evolve and grow the brand, they are currently choice for them. the company’s ability to maintain its heritage and still produce its
more than 50 operations, each performed by hand, over the course focusing their energies on two areas. The first is co-branding Sustainability is another critically important aspect in modern core product, the hat, in the same way they did back when they first
of seven weeks. It is this level of quality that we put into all of our activities, where they have already collaborated with such renowned retail, as consumers, particularly younger generations, increasingly started out.
products that allows a Borsalino hat to stand out,” explains Mauro names as Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino. This is an important demand eco-conscious products and brand transparency, leading to “Despite a long and successful past, we still have a lot of challenges
Baglietto, Managing Director. distribution channel for the company as it offers the opportunity for higher brand loyalty and purchase intent. in front of us. Our immediate goal is to improve our presence in
The company operates 15 monobrand units across Italy, France customers who may not normally shop in Borsalino stores to discover “In our case, we feel we have a slight advantage when it comes to the world; this is definitely an ongoing challenge for us. In certain
and the UK. Their stores are split across two categories, the retail the quality of the brand. The second area is product expansion. While sustainability, because in terms of raw material, straw is a material countries, we are very strong and well-known, but in others we need
store and the travel retail store. While they began with their own their main product is of course the hat, they are now branching out that is incredibly sustainable, offering even more value to our to work on our distribution and reach,” says Baglietto.
retail stores, the travel retail store count has risen quickly in recent into the field of accessories as they look to offer a complete look for products. In terms of our merchandise, the Fedora hat for example, He continues by highlighting that their other main challenge is to
times and offers the business contact with a different kind of their customers. which is a popular one for customers to bring back to us for us to build the brand’s product range so that it may be represented as more
customer, a young and more international consumer. While the business is steeped in heritage and history, this does clean and maintain, means it is a product made for the long-term, of a lifestyle concept for customers.
Global expansion is on the horizon for Borsalino, beginning by not mean they neglect the importance of current elements within rather than being something that is used for one season and then “There is plenty to work on moving forward and we are excited to
adding to their European presence with an additional location in the retail world, namely social media and the growing influence of thrown away,” Baglietto elicits. see what the next stage brings us as we look to improve our presence
London, UK and another in Paris, France. From here, other major artificial intelligence. Baglietto comments that new technologies With a history spanning as long as Borsalino’s, what is it that has in the lifestyle sector,” Baglietto concludes.

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