Asiana was founded in 2019 in Bologna, from the idea of a young couple – him Italian, her Vietnamese – intent on representing and blending their origins together, in order to give life to an original and unique footwear brand that exalts the excellence of a Made in Italy united with an Oriental philosophy and style. We went with Giovanni Guerzoni, CEO of Asiana S.r.l., to discover more about this new protagonist in fashion, which was presented for the first time at Micam this past September.

How do the Oriental and Italian souls of the brand come together?

Our creations express an Asian soul with a style and philosophy of Oriental inspiration and a use of premium materials like brocade, silk, and cashmere. We have also developed an exclusive line of models enriched by an exquisite lining in premium cashmere. The Italian soul is instead represented by the technical and qualitative excellence of a ‘Made in Marche’ production.

The guiding values of Asiana are its ties with the territory, artisanal ability, and innovation. What does this mean in practical terms?

It means we believe that 100% production in Italy is instrumental, so as to offer a high-quality product artisanally crafted with great skill, while using the very best raw materials that can be found through local suppliers. In fact, Asiana would like to be the result of Made in Italy culture, history, and tradition, combined with stylistic creativity and originality.

Asiana was founded in 2019, just a year after the outbreak of the pandemic with all its consequences. What did this entail for you?

A key factor was undoubtedly our ability to guarantee rapid and flexible production times to our customers, which allowed us to receive orders even right before the requested delivery date, while facing a context that was quickly changing. Essential was also our e-commerce channel, which allowed us to increase our revenue with direct business-to-consumer sales, receiving and delivering orders to various countries, both European and non-EU.

What kind of customer is your proposal aimed at and what are your markets of reference?

Thanks to our two lines, we have managed to have an extremely vast target of clientele, both in terms of age and style. We in fact propose a line based on a sports style that is extremely outgoing and sophisticated, where the iconic style of Asiana is more visible. We then have a minimal line, with a more conservative style, even if it is still in line with the Asiana philosophy. Our markets of reference from the business-to-business segment (retailers) are mainly Italy, Spain, and Australia, while with e-commerce we receive orders from all parts of the world, and especially from Western Europe, the USA, and Japan.

There is increasing talk about sustainability and personalisation: have you made these moods your own, and if so, in what way? 

We believe that environmental sustainability is by now an implicit obligation both in the approach to consumers and the surrounding environment in which we live. We accordingly try to keep the environmental impact of our productions to a minimum, favouring local suppliers and eco-sustainable materials like vegetable-tanned leathers, with a 100% metal-free production. Unfortunately, in a market where price and fast fashion habits rule the day, there is the risk of not being competitive when offering long-lasting and sustainable products. However, fortunately, customers are becoming increasingly aware of their choices, favouring products that are sustainable for the environment, safe for the user, and durable over time.