According to market sources, Gruppo Florence could soon have a new leadership. In a few weeks its current CEO, Attila Kiss, could be appointed chairman, while the current general manager, Fabrizio Ciafrei, could become the group’s CEO. Until now the company declined to comment on this topic.

Kiss is a long-time insider of the fashion industry who headed Gruppo Florence since its early days, and previously worked for his own consulting company and prestigious brands like Ermanno Scervino, Balenciaga and Etiqueta Negra.

Ciafrei joined the Florence Group in April 2025 after a Permira’s decision, that owns the majoority of the group. He counts for an overall 15-year experience spent at c-level positions between Save The Duck, Loro Piana, and Luxottica.

The Florence Group is an Italian manufacturing platform comprising 38 highly specialized workshops in the luxury sector, among the most appreciated ones globally.  It employs nearly 5,000 people across nine Italian regions, collaborating with over 100 international brands.

They develop and produce ready-to-wear, leather goods, and footwear collections, as well as providing a wide variety of intermediate manufacturing services. 

The group specializes in offering advanced solutions and services to brands—from technical research to industrialization capabilities, from sustainability and traceability using innovative technologies to reduced lead times. 

It operates under an alternative business model, as it involves entrepreneurs who join the group with their own production facilities as shareholders. The synergy and mutual benefit among the workshops that make up the Florence Group allow each company to expand its product offering and service level while maintaining its own identity and expertise.

Founded in October 2020 by a consortium of investors led by VAM Investments, Fondo Italiano d’Investimento (through Fondo Italiano Consolidamento e Crescita—FICC), and Italmobiliare, Gruppo Florence is controlled by the international investment firm Permira since 2023 and is held, with a significant stake, by the entrepreneurs, the management team, VAM Investments, Fondo Italiano d’Investimento, and Star Capital. 

Gruppo Florence closed 2024 with a turnover of approximately €670 million.