A strong performance from the luxury brands in the portfolio of Italian fashion group OTB group pushed net sales up 12 per cent in 2022. Net sales reached €1.63 billion in the 12 months to 31 December 2022, on the back of the performance of the luxury division, which includes Jil Sander, Maison Margiela and Marni. Net profit at the group, which also owns Diesel and Dsquared², grew by €44 million to €105 million.

In a statement, Renzo Rosso, OTB founder and chairman, described 2022 as “a very challenging year, but despite the war in Ukraine, the difficult world economic situation and continuous lockdowns in China, the group’s luxury brands continued to make robust progress.”

He added: “Jil Sander, Maison Margiela and Marni are extraordinary, iconic brands like their creative directors. They stand out among all the others in the luxury sector and their special features mean they are increasingly sought after by consumers all over the world, as the impressive results reported for 2022 demonstrate.”

Meanwhile, Diesel — now under the creative direction of Glenn Martens — has been “enjoying great visibility”, the company said. Highlights included the Spring/Summer 2023 show, which was an event open to the public; the launch of its first NFT collection in partnership with blockchain startup Hape in December 2022; and the growing popularity of the 1DR bag. There was no news on the CEO role, left open following the departure of Diesel CEO Eraldo Poletto earlier this month.

OTB also highlighted its retail expansion and growth in sales through direct-to-consumer channels. In 2022, the company opened 73 stores across two key markets, APAC and the US. In July, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni and Amiri (in which OTB has a minority stake) all opened stores in Shanghai’s JC Plaza luxury mall. A total of 15 new stores were opened in South Korea and 13 in the US.

OTB has a keen eye on digital innovation. The Diesel NFT launch was developed with OTB’s metaverse business unit Brave Virtual Xperience, first launched in November 2021. The company also registered 300,000 Maison Margiela, Marni and Jil Sander garments on Aura Blockchain Consortium, of which OTB is a founding member.

The company worked hard to streamline its supply chain in 2022, enhancing its logistics network and developing production platforms, OTB said. Jil Sander’s production was fully integrated with OTB-owned industrial platform Staff International. The platform developed four new business units: ready-to-wear operations, shoes and bags operations, logistics and licences.

OTB highlighted the continuing success of its C.A.S.H project, set up in 2013, which allows suppliers to request advance payment for invoices at subsidised rates. “One of the key drivers of our success is our ability to work as a team and to support our supply chain, which is largely located in Italy. By working side by side with our suppliers, we have created an efficient ecosystem and a solid production base for our brands,” said Ubaldo Minelli, CEO of OTB.