The CEO beh
ind the high-end Italian home brand Frette says building success in the luxury bed-and-bath category requires a flexible, and highly engaged team. With customers including elite hotels, spas, and resorts, the brand’s fine bedding, loungewear, and home-interior creations demand a strong and resilient workforce.
But what makes these collections appealing to the discriminating taste of his clientele? In this second extract of his interview with Chief of Staff Asia, Filippo Arnabold, global CEO, says the contributing factors include craftsmanship, flexibility, and team evolution and expansion.
COS Asia: Considering the boom in online shopping during the pandemic and the current inflation, what plans are in place for your employees to cope with the changed market landscape?
Arnaboldi: We are fortunate that we craft Frette to last a lifetime. In light of the pandemic and what we’re currently facing in terms of inflation, customers are placing greater importance on quality. That, coupled with the refreshed focus on well-being, makes Frette’s products a worthy investment. Bed and bath linens, home accessories, and loungewear — they all have the power to transform space, mood, and experience, which, today, are factors that carry more weight than ever before.
To cope with the changed market landscape, it’s all about reinforcing what Frette is all about. We focus our messaging on impeccable quality and craftsmanship, plus coupled with thoughtful design and timeless sophistication that has and will continue to last through the ages.
COS Asia: How important is work flexibility in your company, especially in the post-pandemic era?
Arnaboldi: Flexibility is what makes Frette such a strong team. The pandemic forced us to explore new ways of working and communicating. In many ways, it brought us closer to one another. We share ideas freely, which presents new opportunities for growth and exploration.
Today, we operate under a hybrid of working from home and in the office. I find value in the connection only derived from the interpersonal, so we need to come together as one while still respecting how we all adapted to a new routine over the past three years. We do our best to ensure time spent in-office is productive and coloured here and there, with a bit of fun.
COS Asia: Stiff competition exists among luxury brands in Singapore. How do you see Frette 10 years from now, as both an employer and as a brand?
Arnaboldi: As an employer, I hope to see our talented team continue to grow – expanding roles with new expertise to keep Frette moving forward. As we continue to gain popularity worldwide, the opportunity to connect with our clients on deeper and more expansive levels also grows. So, the team will need to evolve and expand to support this.
As a brand, in 10 years, we will have worked to be even more globally recognised as a luxury lifestyle brand, having seamlessly integrated Frette’s dynamic and ever-expanding product offering across client touchpoints. Frette is a brand that allows you to go beyond the bedroom, taking an element of luxury no matter where you go. In the next decade, we hope to see access to this mentality expand with the growth of our offerings and worldwide presence.
This feature was extracted from Chief of Staff Asia’s exclusive interview with Filippo Arnaboldi, global CEO at Frette. For further coverage please see the below link:
Now in Southeast Asia: Filippo Arnaboldi on Frette’s multicultural leadership
