From Heritage to High Altitude: Sergio Soldano’s Travel Retail Reawakening
4 minutes read
Following its acquisition by Desire Holding, Italian luxury house Sergio Soldano is entering a new era – one defined by fresh investment, a sharpened identity and a clear ambition to make its mark in travel retail.
Creative direction is now led by Premoli + Di Bella – the partnership of Giovanni Premoli and Dario Di Bella – internationally recognised for their work in luxury design and high-end fashion leadership. The reboot brings together heritage credibility and a contemporary design language aimed at today’s global traveller.
TRunblocked.com’s Colleen Morgan sat down with Desire Holding Group Board Member Antonio Lemma and the designers to discuss the thinking behind the acquisition, the timing of the relaunch and the strategic importance of travel retail.
Colleen Morgan (CM): Desire’s acquisition of Sergio Soldano surprised many across fragrance and fashion. What’s the real strategic message behind the move – portfolio diversification, heritage revival or a longer-term play for travel retail?
Antonio Lemma (AL): The acquisition reflects our ambition to build a strong, owned brand, beginning with fashion and expanding, in a second phase, into beauty – which remains our core business – at the appropriate premium and luxury level.
Relaunching the fashion segment is essential to clearly define the brand’s positioning and rebuild long-term equity. Only a solid and credible fashion foundation can support future developments across other categories, including beauty and travel retail.
CM: How central is travel retail to Desire’s priorities for Sergio Soldano over the next 18 –24 months? Should the channel expect a cautious test phase or a faster rollout?
AL: Travel retail will play a crucial role in the brand’s development, but our initial focus is on building brand awareness and securing visibility within premium retail environments.
Accessories will enter the channel progressively, with a measured approach that respects the brand’s luxury positioning rather than pursuing rapid expansion.
CM: Reviving a heritage brand requires investment. How much of Desire’s commitment is dedicated specifically to travel retail?
AL: Our initial focus will be on the US market, where we aim to build brand awareness before expanding into Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In the short term, we will introduce a curated range of easy-to-sell accessories to support entry into travel retail.
Looking ahead, our ambition is to develop dedicated brand corners in selected strategic airports, enhancing visibility and reinforcing brand awareness.
CM: With new ownership comes a new identity. How would you define Sergio Soldano’s refreshed positioning, and why does it resonate with today’s traveller?
AL: Sergio Soldano was once among the most successful Italian fashion brands, alongside names such as Armani and Versace, and it deserves to reclaim its place within that legacy.
Giovanni Premoli and Dario Di Bella are ideally placed to interpret the soul of the brand and translate it for a contemporary audience. Their work allows consumers to experience Sergio Soldano’s heritage through modern, refined clothing and accessories, reconnecting Italian fashion history with today’s expectations.
CM: How is that identity being translated into a proposition that works in the travel-retail environment?
AL: Inspired by the Genoa lifestyle, the brand today is defined by a balance of classic elegance and contemporary design, offering a distinctive identity that feels particularly relevant to the global traveller.
Sergio Soldano offers refined design and understated elegance in a market often dominated by overt branding and logo-driven accessories. Its distinctive design language and timeless style provide travellers with an authentic and sophisticated alternative that feels both exclusive and enduring.
CM: Giovanni Premoli and Dario Di Bella, you’ve taken the creative reins at a heritage house ready for reinvention. What was your instinctive approach to this new chapter?
Premoli + Di Bella (PDB): Our instinct was to establish a bold, forward-looking creative vision that could regenerate the brand by introducing new stylistic codes while preserving its spirit. We didn’t want to revisit the past – we wanted to evolve it. That meant reimagining Sergio Soldano through a contemporary lens where Italian craftsmanship, innovation in silhouette and storytelling come together.
At the same time, maintaining a connection to the brand’s roots was essential. Genoa, once home to Sergio Soldano’s original headquarters, remains a key reference point. It represents cultural depth and artisanal heritage, which continue to inform our work and anchor the brand’s identity.
CM: Travellers want style that works in motion. How are you designing specifically for the travel retail shopper while keeping the brand’s luxury DNA intact?
PDB: Travel retail requires a distinct creative and strategic mindset. Travellers are often time-pressed, emotionally open and in discovery mode, engaging with products differently than in traditional retail. Our approach reflects that.
We’re developing products that are versatile, portable and suitable across seasons and climates, while preserving the elegance and craftsmanship that define Sergio Soldano. Functionality and immediacy are essential, but never at the expense of luxury. The aim is to deliver refined garments and accessories that move easily with the modern traveller and feel relevant wherever their journey takes them.
Sergio Soldano will reflect our commitment to design with purpose: refined garments and accessories that embrace movement, adapt to multiple latitudes and tell a story – even at 30,000 feet.
CM: After your TFWA Cannes debut, what key design codes, silhouettes or materials will define Sergio Soldano going forward – the details travellers and retailers will recognise instantly?
PDB: TFWA Cannes was a strong validation for the direction we’ve taken. What resonated most was the genuine curiosity and emotional response from people across different geographies. That consistency reinforced our belief in the brand’s new language.
Hand-painted prints, bold use of colour, fine materials, innovative embroidery techniques and carefully constructed silhouettes all play a role. Every detail contributes not only to craftsmanship but to storytelling. Going forward, elevated silhouettes, high-quality Italian fabrics and artistic flourishes will remain central to our design codes.
CM: One year from now, what would success look like for Sergio Soldano in travel retail?
AL: Success would mean a selective, yet impactful presence in a limited number of strategic locations, offering a distinctive fashion-accessories experience rather than broad distribution.
Attention to detail will be key, as those details are what create memorability for today’s traveller.
PDB: We would love to see the Sergio Soldano experience take flight, quite literally. Introducing travellers to our creative universe – rooted in beauty, art and Italian craftsmanship – is really exciting. Brand awareness will grow as more people encounter the brand, just as we saw in Cannes. We are also open to physical product presence in airports.
Given our previous experience developing dedicated airport retail lines and mono-brand stores, it would be a natural and welcome evolution.
