A Valentino factory is ravaged by flames, destroying 38,000 pairs of shoes

A shoe factory operated by Valentino was ravaged by fire, with an estimated 38,000 pairs of shoes destroyed in its high-end manufacturing plant in Italy.

Valentino’s Tuscany factory was demolished in flames earlier this month, with 90 percent of the site burned down. The factory, which employed 160 workers, handcrafted 1,300 shoes per day. The devastating loss of equipment, property and product is thought to amount to a loss of millions of euros.

“I’m touched and moved by the solidarity that was formed within our company, and not only, as an immediate consequence after the devastating fire which has destroyed one of our manufacturing excellences,” said Jacopo Venturini, CEO of Valentino. “The swiftness with which we were able to develop an effective plan of action is an evident consequence of the love that the Valentino employees nurture for our company. Our ambition is to return to produce and manufacture more or less at the same pace that we sustained before the incident, starting next month. This objective has become possible due to various initiatives which, implemented together, will allow us to regularly produce a good part of the seasonal orders.”

According to Footwear News Valentino will resume production in May at other plants. Prada, which operates a facility in the same area, have made their facility available to the Roman fashion house.

“I would also like to thank from the bottom of my heart Patrizio Bertelli, Prada CEO, who immediately contacted us to express his solidarity and by making available one of his factories located a few kilometers away from our production site,” Venturini said.

Venturini said the company’s goal is to first and foremost “protect and enhance the value of people. We are comforted in the knowledge that nobody was hurt.”

Venturini further stated the company is focused on managing the situation “in the best possible way, also to reprogram the production activities of the production site in order to minimize the social and economic impact.”

Image via Valentino