sister2paris
03-27-2006, 09:34 AM
ITALIAN leather label Ruffo is going to shut down its factory outside Pisa, laying off 80 employees, following the closure of its stores in Florence and Milan. Having fallen victim, according to company owner Giacomo Corsi, to "ever-increasing competition, and to whittling orders by Italian designers", the firm is now "restructuring", says WWD. As well as supplying leatherwear to the likes of Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli, Ruffo is famous for its Ruffo Research project which, with the help of fashion talent scout Joy Yaffe, launched the careers of Sophia Kokosalaki, Antonio Berardi and Veronique Branquinho. (Vogue Magazine)