About Kabbaz-Kelly by Cri & Gio
"Quality. There's a sign over my design table which has been there since the 1970's", noted Alexander Kabbaz. The sign says "You came here for Quality. Quality can NOT be rushed."
It is this overarching maxim of quality which governs all we do. With so many artisanal family companies selling out to venture capital groups - with all the cost cutting that entails - continuing to offer the best quality products means investing ourselves in the creation process. When the main women's lingerie line we've offered for more than a quarter-century went the mass-market department store route, the results were terrible. It was then that we decided it was time to create our own collection. We turned to our old friend Tamara Gattucci who introduced us to the wonderful Sra. Elena Cecchetelli. It was like a dream come true.
Elena, the founder of Cri & Gio, began her lingerie career as a seamstress in 1971. During the 45 years since, Sra. Cecchetelli has produced for Cosabella, La Perla, Bottega Veneta, Moschino, Zilli and Stefano Ricci among others. Today she is easily the best women's lingerie designer and technical engineer in Italy. It has been a privilege to work with her ... and work we did! It's almost two years now since we began working on our new collection. Designing ... testing ... correcting ... testing again. Repeat. Repeat again. But it was all worth it.
In a world where mass production and the logistics of large volume seem to be the only reality possible, there are a small group who still believe that artisinal manufacturing is synonymous with the best quality. In her laboratory (Italian vernacular for creative studios), Elena Cecchetelli harnesses the traditional Italian quality ethic in every step of the process. Pattern design, modeling, sewing, ironing ... all are directly supervised by Sra. Elena. Fabric research, drape, touch, elegance, freshness and lightness have marked the evolution of this collection. Elena's motto: "The perfect simplicity of each piece hides a precious refinement of detail and the best workmanship."
In short, the marriage of Kabbaz-Kelly with Cri & Gio, two small, artisanal family businesses, is the ideal birthplace for The World's Finest Women's Lingerie.
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