The Real Problem with Made in Italy…
Made in Italy isn’t sick. It’s just been forgotten.
When we talk about the crisis of Made in Italy, we tend to look outward: global market pressures, production models racing ahead. But the real alarm bells are much closer to home. The real fragility is internal: a progressive forgetting of what made this system unique, a systematic distraction from what ought to be preserved with care.
In recent years, some Italian brands have adapted to global logic. It’s a complex transition, born of real needs—but in this shift, the authentic connection to their territories has thinned. The bond between identity and the production chain has weakened. This isn’t about regulations—it’s about alignment between what’s promised and what’s delivered.
Meanwhile, districts like Biella, Prato, Pistoia, Naples, and Le Marche are undergoing progressive fading—not because of unfair practices, but because they’re being compared to leaner, cheaper, faster production systems. It’s not unfair competition—it’s a different mindset. But the real question is: why did we abandon our own model?
Italian strength has never been about scale, but specificity. Not about volume, but depth of knowledge. Yet in the pursuit of speed and margins, we’ve sacrificed the core of our value: skill, gesture, dedication. And so we began to lose our productive identity.
A fabric born in Prato, a shoe in Le Marche, a tailoring detail in Naples, carded wool in Biella —these aren’t romantic clichés, they’re living realities that deserve to be heard.
In our rush to stay afloat in the global market, we risk becoming indistinct. And when a brand loses touch with its origin, the trust surrounding it fades too. The power of Made in Italy has always rested on its reputation: a reputation built on consistency between words and actions. When that consistency breaks, its symbolic value wanes. A brand that no longer tells who it is becomes just an elegant word—with no substance.
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Alessandro Sicuro
Brand Strategist | Photographer | Art Director | Project Manager
Alessandro Sicuro Comunication
Sure-com America 