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As CEO of Frette, Filippo Arnaboldi has strengthened the 160-year-old brand’s global expansion across retail, wholesale, e-commerce and hospitality. He has also enhanced its awareness and desirability while maintaining Frette’s core values. Arnaboldi joined Frette in 1999 and was appointed CEO in 2017. Prior to that, he has held senior management positions with the company, including Vice President and General Manager of Frette North America.
In recent years, Arnaboldi has been focusing on the evolution of the brand’s product assortment and organic partnerships to support its positioning and growth as a leading luxury lifestyle brand.
You have been in the industry for a long time. What are some of the changes in your target audience’s requirements that you’ve observed in recent times?
Tastes are ever-changing and vary from person to person, so it’s important for us to strategically evolve our product offering and expand our services to meet the needs of the modern consumer.
In addition to refreshing our foundation of timeless pieces each season, we recently began to transition beyond the bedroom and bathroom. While we have crafted loungewear for women and men for decades, we now also offer our clients accent pieces for the home, such as throws, decorative pillows, and home fragrances. Frette is more than luxury linens – we are a luxury lifestyle brand that our clients can experience in many aspects of their life.
What are some of the new trends we should anticipate in the world of luxury linens?
Since 2016, the brand has given up the concept of “seasonality”. We want to introduce new products that interior designers and both new and existing clients can seamlessly pair back to existing assortments.
We have incredibly talented artisans who keep a constant pulse on interior design and colour trends, and take into consideration the finest materials when crafting new collections. Frette’s storied heritage is rooted in a commitment to unparalleled quality and fine Italian craftsmanship, and our upcoming collections do that beautifully.
Can you share more about Frette’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection that is inspired by the pursuit of wellbeing.
Each piece in Frette’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection, entitled “An Ode to Wellness Rituals”, is a testament to the meticulous craftsmanship and exceptional softness of intricate materials that have defined the brand for over 160 years. Each piece has been thoughtfully designed and curated to bring a touch of luxury wherever you go.
Designing the home as a sanctuary, a place of comfort and retreat, has always been a priority for Frette customers, and in recent years that way of thinking has become more important for many people around the world. Regardless of personal tastes, clients are seeking out high-quality products that will last over time and elevate their lives at home.
At the heart of the Fall/Winter 2024 season is the innovative Leisure Twill, a rich blend of the world’s finest cashmere, silk, and cotton yarns in a bedding collection. This luxurious fabric introduces a new level of elegant hand feel for moments of rest and relaxation.
In your opinion, what are luxury hospitality customers looking for in 2024/25?
The luxury hotel segment has grown significantly in recent years and there is a noticeable need to stand out. We have seen an increase in demand for Frette Bespoke not only for the hotel suites and bedrooms, but also the spas, restaurants and gyms.
Additionally, there is a growing interest in highly elevated guest experiences rooted in wellness. Often, our hospitality partners will reach out to request bespoke gifting for their most loyal guests to elevate their property experience.
Are more luxury clientele interested in bespoke linens? And what are the type of services that Frette can offer in this area?
Bespoke has been a pillar of the brand since its inception. Historically, Frette was best known for dressing some of the most illustrious bedrooms in the world – from European royalty to the presidential suites of the most celebrated hotels. The brand’s familiarity and expertise in creating bespoke linens is appealing to new and existing clients, interior designers, and hospitality partners alike.
Our team of experts are always available to work closely with designers whose clients request personalised linens for their spaces, helping them explore different fabrics and threads, colours, unique monograms, and even custom linen sizing.
Through our bespoke services, completely custom projects are produced with the same high standards as all Frette products, designed especially to meet individual needs.
During the recent 2024 Monaco Yacht Show, we were thrilled to unveil M/Y Frette, a 43.59-metre motor yacht crafted by Columbus Yachts in Italy, which featured Frette Bespoke aboard the vessel - the bed linens, decorative pillows, towels, robes, and table linens were entirely customised by the yachts owner and showcases the essence of Frette’s bespoke artistry and knowledge.
In a stressed-out world, how important is sleep and wellness (and ultimately the perfect linens) for consumers these days?
Consumers are attracted to sleep and wellness focused brands and collections, and we are seeing that globally. For Frette, it is important to continue to elevate these moments of rest and relaxation, as we focus on masterfully crafted collections.
Thom Browne held a collaboration with Frette as part of a sleep-theme performance at Milan design week. Will you be working on more collaborations with designers or artists?
Collaborations are prevalent nowadays and we are being careful to partner with talent that we think align with Frette’s values and heritage. Thom Browne felt very natural for us because he himself sleeps in Frette linens.
Alongside the sleeping experience that remains at the heart of Frette’s business, we want to emphasise our lifestyle product categories that include beyond the bedroom collections.
We have a few upcoming launches planned for 2025 that I am very excited about.
Could you share Frette’s expansion plans in Asia, and how does the brand continue to evolve?
Frette’s expansion goals are truly global and we have plans to open boutiques around the world, but our presence in Asia is expected to grow significantly in the coming years with an emphasis on our direct to consumer businesses and hospitality.
E-commerce is ever more important these days. Do retail consumers still care about tactile aspects when purchasing Frette products?
Personally, when it comes to linens, I believe it’s important to really understand the materials and consider the three Fs: fibre, finish, and feel. This can be experienced best in person at one of our many Frette Flagship Boutiques.
The tactile experience of Frette collections is incomparable and best experienced in person. However, we also understand the consumer today is online and so we are focusing on our digital presence. Frette.com is the biggest window to the brand while we continue to grow the business through an omnichannel approach.
