MILAN, Italy —HAIKURE: HAIKU + nature, pure and future. HAIKURE is not only an Italian denim brand, but an eco-friendly one, particularly focused on sustainability taking onboard a wider concept than just organic! Its mission? Respect the planet and the people while promoting a new lifestyle where fashion and sustainability can co-exist. Federico Corneli, CEO and founder of HAIKURE introduces us to his brand, concept and vision of this success story.
The Beginning
How and where did the idea of an eco-friendly brand come from? Federico recalls his days in the UK back in 2007: “At that time in UK there was a strong discussion around the issue of global warming and all the bad consequences linked to the pollution.” Federico continues: “This discussion caught my attention and soon after finishing my studies I decided to arrange a trip to one of the most sustainable cities in the world like Curritiba or Malmoe to understand how to link sustainability to the needs of being fashionable at the same time.”
“Upon my return, I started to work on my family company and soon arranged meetings with the best fabric suppliers and laundries in the world to understand if it was possible to put a sustainable, high fashion product in the market.”
As soon as Federico realised that it was possible, he launched HAIKURE!
HAIKURE: a Success Story
The fundamental ingredients behind this great Italian story are:
- Innovative ideas
- Right people to set up an A team
- Clear actions
As Federico states: “We were able to clearly envision our future and this was very helpful in setting up a simple idea, which was easily understood and communicated and that could make the difference. Work ethics and attracting the right team is fundamental as they need to encompass the right skills, values and style. And in order to survive, you need clear actions. When the idea and vision was clear, the team got motivated and consequently, taking further actions was even nicer. All these steps were pushed by passion, motivation, innovation and breviary.”
Change the Way You Think About Fashion
There is a new model of responsibility in fashion today. Federico highlights how values such as ethics, aesthetics and economic efficiency are important for a more responsible fashion system and for HAIKURE: “All those values are very important for a new model of responsibility,” assures Federico.
I would add the concept of transparency to make the fashion system even more responsible. The company that puts in place this new model of business will beat the competition in the near future.
“That is why we are in the era of marketing 3.0. Besides the brand identity and the brand image, companies have to also look at brand integrity. The consumer has become more than ever before the main actor, demanding products that are high fashion but that carry respect, sustainability and transparency as well,” comments Federico. He firmly believes that consumers have a lot of influence on themselves and therefore, “companies need to address their demands using the correct tone of voice and tools to show how they are responsible, sustainable and transparent!”
Fashion = Social Energy
Federico suggests how we could turn Fashion into Social Energy and highlights the ways in which HAIKURE contributes for this purpose.
We can turn fashion into social Energy through engagement. Companies have to open their doors without fear and let the people be part of that. How to do that? Mainly through digital strategies.
“From our side, the track and trace system that we put on each trouser, through the QRcode, was very helpful. When people scan the product, they can see all the production steps that the item went through. Furthermore, through social media nowadays, we have direct channels to talk with final consumers and so we are not losing the chance to raise the awareness around the topic of sustainability and transparency.”
Fashion: a Sustainable Form of Art
Is Fashion a true form of art that can also be sustainable? Absolutely! As Federico remarks: “Fashion is still one of the highest form of art, but sadly, since the financial crisis hit, the main players of the market have lost the intention to innovate and now they just compete around their pricing strategies.”
“From our side, we made a lot of R&D in order to put high fashion products in the market that respect the people and the planet. We succeed in this formula with the help of our loyal suppliers that were available to experiment together with us in this new approach in the fashion system. Today we can say that we have made big progress, but there is still more to do,” says Federico with a proud smile. Federico dreams of a world where people are aware of their choices and where it is possible to buy a sustainable high fashion product. This is HAIKURE brand vision!
People need to feel actively involved in this vision because without their help nothing would be possible. To achieve that, we will intensify, through the digital world, the engagement and communication with our consumers.
To this end, just recently HAIKURE launched a blog where they give recommendations on how to live a sustainable and fashionable life. Currently, they are working on the engagement and communication with their agents and clients to let them feel real ambassadors of the brand with the aim to push their values and not just sell their products. Product development and innovation come hand in hand with this strategy. “We want to put in the market a global product that has to be premium, sustainable and transparent, and which matches perfectly our vision and values,” Federico concludes.
