Coveri eyewear at Vecellio

Next winter's Coveri man is a gentleman-pirate who loves women, or rather who loves to be loved by women: a handsome example of young, elegant masculinity in jacket and tie, the way moms like them, but with that hint of the buccaneer that women find so fascinating.

Long, fox-lined overjackets, duffel coats in thick-knit wool, velvet corduroy, but also silk tuxedos with tiny jacquard patterns, and lots of ties worn with nonchalance. 'It's a way of forgetting about financial pirates, the ones with the big ties that choke other people, but never themselves' said Francesco, 29, who never misses out on a witty remark. For some years now he has been running the family business which was founded by his uncle, Enrico Coveri. 'It's not an easy time for fashion' said the young stylist-cum entrepreneur 'and I certainly haven't been able to benefit from strong moments. I've a long way to swim, but my arms are strong. The company is being reinvented with my presence. 2003 was better than the other years and we're very confident about the new licensing agreements, which include eyewear with Vecellio at Belluno'.

Francesco is pleased, but he mentioned the serious problems of forgeries: 'What really damages us are the fakes, it seems incredible, but even though we're not one of the world's top five labels, it represents a big problem for us and we are forced to do something about it continually; in order to beat imitations we redo the label every six months by changing a small detail that only we can recognize.'

(Source: Ansa)