Blauer, the US Police uniform brand, celebrated its 25th anniversary during the last Milan Fashion Week with a party, lots of friends and family stories to tell. We met Enzo Fusco, mastermind and leader of the project.

Blauer, the US Police uniform brand, celebrated its 25th anniversary during the last Milan Fashion Week with a party, lots of friends and family stories to tell.

Enzo Fusco, entrepreneur, co-owner, and author of the brand’s success, celebrated this special occasion with over 300 guests, friends and fans of the brand at Triennale, Milan’s art exhibition space.

 A special installation “A family Grammar” curated by art director Felice Limosani, hosted some of most iconic ad campaign images shot by famous photographers, and a video by Bruce Weber.

Tracing this path was the family fil rouge, an aspect that connects the brand’s history from the Blauer family, that set the brand’s origins, the Fusco family, behind its last 25 year and its present success, and the vast family of the brand’s fans.

Along with it, they presented four special edition single exemplars of customised Blauer jackets. Two of them will be sold through Francine, Amy Bannerman’s pre-loved high-end on-line resale platform.

While celebrating this iconic anniversary, Enzo Fusco accepted to speak about his vision of sportswear and fashion, as a longtime insider who continues to lead a key position in the market.

Tell us about your career. You have a long history in this industry and have worked in various segments….

It’s quite a long story. I started out as a sales assistant, then I became a window dresser, and from there I opened boutiques. My evolution began when I created my first childrenswear collection in Turin. Then I met Gegè Schiena, who passed away a few months ago. He wanted me to work with him at Americanino, I became his business partner, and we founded Mani-fatture del Nord. 

After this experience, I opened my own style office. It was a very important opportunity because I met Adriano Goldschmied, I joined the Genius Group and I worked with him on Goldie Italia and Goldie Utility. From there, a whole new world opened up.

I worked with denim, but not only that. Of course, I worked with jeans, collaborating with Elio Fiorucci, but also with Armani and Kenzo Jeans in the ’70s and ’80s. 

 I was part of a world that belonged to me because I had many skills. My culture was born with denim. Then I grew up in the world of sports, specializing in outerwear.

You’ve been through a lot of changes, but you’ve also worked with the haute couture brand Lancetti, right?

That was the last thing I did, because before I dedicated myself 100% to FGF, my own company, the new owner of the Lancetti brand called me to ask me to design for him. I didn’t have a knack for making evening dresses, but I brought innovations to haute couture such as garment dyeing and embroidered jeans, which even Cavalli wasn’t doing yet. I was also good at choosing materials, colors, and ideas, and it was a success.

And then?

Then I decided I became an entrepreneur, and I think I did pretty well because Blauer is still with us after 25 years. I bought C.P. Company. Then I sold it because I created Ten C, which is a high-end sportswear brand that is becoming very important.

Looking back on your extensive career, what can you say about this market? How has it changed?

Everything returns into circles, but there have been two main changes.

On the one hand, materials have changed significantly because there has been an incredible evolution in technology and in the creation of new fibers and materials.

On the other hand, the way we dress and combine styles has changed, especially after COVID, which has accustomed us to trying to dress in an increasingly comfortable way.

So, is comfort more important than fashion?

Today, the beauty of fashion is that there is no fashion. You dress how you want. Once upon a time, men wore pinstripes, gray suits, blue blazers, camel coats and so on. Today, there are no rules. You can wear a camel coat with ripped jeans and a T-shirt.

Everything has changed, but it’s more beautiful and less boring. But if you ask me what’s in fashion, I can’t answer you. I can tell you that you make your own fashion. In fact, if you have a modicum of good taste, you can create the style you like.

Sportswear is comfort. For me, this defines fashion right now: garments that must be comfortable, practical, and convenient, such as wearability for greater comfort in movement, travel and everyday life.

What has always distinguished you in this transformation, has been and is the key to your success?

My mentality is to always do the opposite of what is mainstream, so if they tell me that down jackets are in, I make coats.

But the difference is that you have to work very seriously every day, always be present, and know what’s going on in the world.

If I went to Paris and sat at Café Flor, I only had to sit there for an hour to understand whether bomber jackets or coats were in fashion. So you have to have a particular sensitivity, which is something innate.

Then, maybe it’s because I was born in Turin and am of Apulian origin, but in the end, good taste in combining colors and fabrics also makes a difference.

In the past, for example, we wore flannel, cool wool, cashmere, vicuña, and linen. 

Now there are polyester, microfibers, and synthetic fabrics. The landscape has changed. You have to know both, but I think you need to know how to put everything together with a little good taste. I also pay a lot of attention to detail. So maybe I’m rewarded for that.

What’s more, I want to say that the world is moving forward, and quite quickly. Luckily, I managed to create a DNA for the Blauer brand and then for Ten C. Creating a project is very nice, but it’s difficult to make it last. You can do it when you know who you are.

Let’s talk about a product’s quality. Has there been a decline, or has quality remained high?

We Italians taught the Chinese how to manufacture, and not only them.

Today, with their financial strength and workforce, they have become better than us. It is almost certain, of course, that there are certain types of products, such as suits, jackets, and custom-made shoes, that can only be made in italy, but in the world of sportswear, if you turn to qualified manufacturers, they have very advanced facilities and machinery, such as robots, that we don’t have in Italy. 

However, I think that you have to know how to create quality. We design the paper pattern and make the prototype in-house. Then we send it to our supplier, who sends us the sample. When we receive it, if there is something wrong, we say so. 

We have technicians who deal with quality control in China, and we try to make as few mistakes as possible because you create quality if you have the skills to do so.

This is the source of Blauer’s success: it has perfect quality and price, but everything is balanced because I couldn’t afford certain processes for a certain price range.

Blauer is backed by a company that has been there for 25 years, ready to meet the needs of its customers. 

The product is not enough. Service and distribution also count. Everything is important, but being close to the customer makes the difference. If they have a problem, they call us; if they have payment issues, we meet them halfway. If they can’t sell certain items, we exchange them for other merchandise, and so on. All this cannot be built in one day; it takes years.

How will this market evolve?

The future is quite uncertain. The younger generations have a different mindset and prefer to take one more trip and buy one less item.

Today, it is increasingly difficult to survive in a market where half of the younger generation buys online and through large chains. In addition, many multibrand stores are closing. To survive in this situation, you have to specialize and be stronger than your competitors. We don’t have funds or partners to finance us. We run everything as a family business. It’s like making pasta at home: as long as you make it yourself, it tastes better.

I hope these wars end because they are certainly not good for anyone, least of all the market. I make 3- to 4-year plans, and they look promising because we are expanding distribution for Blauer and because our product sells well… Just think, if you ask ten people if they know Blauer, nine will say yes, and if you go outside a middle school or high school, 40% of the kids are wearing white or black Blauer down jackets.

What’s more, our brand also appeals to 30-, 40-, and 50-year-olds and, unlike our competitors, we also appeal to women, because in winter, 45-46% of our sales are to female customers.I believe that what keeps us going is our strong identity and clear vision, product, intentions and objectives.

What is the fashion industry like today?

What is certain is that today it is more difficult than it used to be. In the past, any entrepreneur, even without a particular background, who wanted to create a jeans brand could open a factory and be successful. Everything was definitely easier. Today, it is not a question of style or product. Today, companies have to be almost like banks or financial institutions. That’s why everyone is bringing in funds.

You can only succeed if you have a clear idea. Creating a project is great. What’s difficult is to make it last”