Loriblu set to expand in USA and UAEs

Italian luxury footwear brand Loriblu, renowned for its 'jewel shoes', is prioritising the USA and the UAEs as future expansion markets. The brand's latest opening was in Doha, Qatar, where Loriblu has inaugurated a shop in the Mall of Qatar, adding to a network of 43 monobrand stores, 13 in Italy and 30 abroad.

Loriblu manufactures 1,500 pairs of shoes daily in its 200-employee factory in Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy, and serves 2,000 clients worldwide. The brand is making a name for itself in the USA thanks to the visibility afforded by celebrity fans like American singer and actress Ariana Grande, who wore Loriblu boots for her recent tour-opening gig in Phoenix, US model Chrissy Teigen (wife of musician John Legend) who chose a pair of jewel sandals for the Academy Awards gala and Brazilian top model Alessandra Ambrosio, who donned a pair of red Loriblu sandals for the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

"Quality alone is no longer sufficient nowadays, a brand must be bolstered through worldwide investments," said Annarita Pilotti, who owns Loriblu together with her husband Graziano Cuccù. "Italian style and manufacturing are our greatest assets, and we must tap into these resources. We are focused on giving our brand an international dimension, especially in the USA, and we have opened a showroom in New York."

Exports account for approximately 75% of Loriblu's revenue, which reached €30 million in 2016. The brand's main markets, besides Italy, are currently Russia and the former Soviet republics, the Middle East and Asia, while in Europe Loriblu operates monobrand stores in the UK, France. Spain and Serbia.

"Our objective, added Pilotti, is to keep developing the brand, making it truly international while preserving its core values. Our children are active in the company, and are contributing to its growth with their work."