After a three-and-a-half-decade hiatus, Bloomingdale’s will as soon as once more stage an enormous import promotion, this time bringing the meals, trend, equipment, high-quality jewellery, residence furnishings, magnificence and tradition of Italy to its 59th Road flagship in Manhattan, branches across the U.S., on-line, and in social media, beginning Sept. 5.

For the two-month occasion, titled “From Italy, With Love,” greater than 150 manufacturers, together with 30 new to the upscale division retailer corresponding to Isaia menswear, Fendi, Etro and La DoubleJ ready-to-wear, are collaborating, and there might be 300 unique merchandise displayed within the Bloomingdale’s shops and on the web site. There may even be pop-up retailers, meals carts, cooking demonstrations, customizing fashions, installations, courses, trunk reveals, activations and panel discussions.

Whereas Bloomingdale’s 59th Road flagship would be the nexus, with its 9 promoting flooring and with all classes engaged, the 31 different Bloomingdale’s places will take part to various levels, with the larger-volume shops in procuring facilities like Aventura, Fla.; Century Metropolis in Los Angeles; South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Tyson’s Nook in McLean, Va., remodeled probably the most.

Like its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebration in 2022, “From Italy, With Love” is one other event for Bloomingdale’s to display its shopping for energy and retail theatrics. It additionally marks a primary important take a look at by the retailer’s new chief govt officer Olivier Bron to ship on his promise that Bloomingdale’s will “dream massive” to create bigger, extremely progressive occasions thereby changing into extra partaking and experiential.

“Promoting merchandise is just not sufficient. Now we have to carry extra to our clients,” Bron mentioned in an unique interview with WWD on Friday. “It’s truly a part of the Bloomingdale’s DNA to develop these massive occasions, to have fun manufacturers and develop new experiences. That is the place Bloomingdale’s has demonstrated a unbelievable know-how. We wish to do greater issues now, issues which might be very, very thrilling.”

Occasions just like the upcoming Italian marketing campaign, Bron mentioned, “can drive robust business success. These campaigns are crucial for our clients, for our present model companions, for brand spanking new model companions, and they’re additionally necessary from a Bloomingdale’s model positioning perspective.”

“‘From Italy, With Love’ is absolutely going to set us aside throughout New York Style Week and thru the autumn trend season usually,” mentioned Frank Berman, Bloomingdale’s chief advertising and marketing officer.

In line with Kevin Harter, Bloomingdale’s vice chairman of built-in advertising and marketing, “‘From Italy, With Love’ is greater than a marketing campaign. It’s a end result of iconic manufacturers and strategically handpicked companions, coming collectively to have fun the sweetness that’s Italy via trend, design, delicacies and tradition.”

“From Italy, With Love” in some methods appears a throwback to the period of Marvin Traub, the late former chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s, who via the ’70s and ’80s energized the promoting flooring (principally on the 59th Road flagship) with a protracted string of unique import promotions from completely different international locations and areas of the world; some had been extraordinarily profitable at drawing enormous crowds and bumping up gross sales, whereas a number of others had been cash losers.

Traub’s import promotions revolved round unique and uncommon merchandise, corresponding to introducing to the U.S. centuries-old ceremonial robes from Beijing’s Forbidden Metropolis for a 1980 China promotion. Or for the “Mediterranean Odyssey” in 1987, he imported a $15,000 Christian Lacroix Provencal-inspired satin costume although the shop didn’t promote couture. Traub despatched a few of his crew to Kennedy Airport to choose up the costume, with safety.

It was typical for Traub’s consumers to spend weeks scouring ateliers in trend capitals and off the overwhelmed path upfront of those import promotions. If the crew couldn’t discover sufficient merchandise, Traub had the merchandise made. The import promotions grew to become a practice, kicking off the autumn trend season with designers, celebrities and even heads of state visiting Bloomingdale’s 59th Road flagship, and burnishing the shop’s repute for progressive merchandising and pleasure. Traub’s final nation promotion was a celebration of Italy in 1991, known as Tempo d’Italia.

However Bron said that “From Italy, With Love,” and future campaigns, are taking Bloomingdale’s “to a different degree” and that the upcoming marketing campaign and subsequent ones might be extra sweeping and interesting than these of the previous.

He informed WWD that after “From Italy, With Love,” Bloomingdale’s has a giant vacation marketing campaign scheduled. He additionally mentioned that main occasions might be staged yearly, although not essentially revolving round nation imports. The Bloomingdale’s crew is already engaged on subsequent 12 months’s program. Bron declined to reveal the character of it.

He additionally declined to point the greenback worth of the purchase for “From Italy, With Love,” aside from saying, “It is a very, very robust funding for us, however we positively suppose that it’s creating worth for the Bloomingdale’s model on a mid- to long-term perspective. I really need Bloomingdale’s to go greater.”

In Marvin Traub’s period, planning an import promotion concerned many journeys abroad for months. However such endeavors are carried out in another way these days, to some extent remotely, and based on Bloomingdale’s officers, the planning for this explicit marketing campaign didn’t contain additional touring by the retailer’s crew past the traditional schedule. Nonetheless, it was an entire crew effort, calling for consumers, trend administrators, retailer operators, visible merchandisers, advertising and marketing and public relations personnel to all step up.

“Sooner or later, Bloomingdale’s will maintain organizing these nice and thrilling occasions and subsequent 12 months we may have one other marketing campaign. That’s for positive,” mentioned Bron. “However you understand, proper after Italy, now we have a giant, massive vacation season marketing campaign as properly. We’re investing extra in these occasions, as a result of we predict it differentiates us from the competitors, that it’s very related within the present aggressive panorama, and that makes a whole lot of sense for our clients and for our companions, and in addition for the evolution of Bloomingdale’s model positioning.”

Bron, in an earlier interview with WWD, spelled out different particular methods and concepts for taking Bloomingdale’s to new heights, emphasizing elevated localization of occasions, merchandising and advertising and marketing; producing larger cross-category procuring; leveraging knowledge extra intensively, and build up the equipment enterprise whereas sustaining rtw because the core. He careworn improved “storytelling” and experiences to raise the essence and breadth of crucial manufacturers being bought.

To additional that goal, Bron mentioned the designer flooring — 4 and 5 — on the 59th Road flagship in Manhattan might be renovated. Concerning rtw, he mentioned, “It’s positively the place we maintain investing and growing when it comes to bringing new manufacturers in, elevating the model combine, and giving it a bit extra space to carry the very best of those classes to our clients.” The renovations of the fourth and fifth flooring “will illustrate this focus we’re having in our residence base of rtw and growing the opposite classes,” he mentioned.

The planning for “From Italy, With Love” started in earnest a few 12 months in the past when Bron joined Bloomingdale’s as CEO, succeeding Tony Spring, who grew to become chairman and CEO of Macy’s Inc., the father or mother company of Bloomingdale’s.

However as Berman informed WWD, “Collectively as a company we began excited about this two years in the past. Whereas the concept and a number of the work started earlier than Olivier’s arrival, he challenged us to suppose greater, to raise what we had been doing, and make it extra dramatic. He positively put his stamp on it.

“Your entire firm is absolutely contributing to this marketing campaign,” Berman added. “Even our eating places have been tailored with Italian dishes and drinks. This marketing campaign covers all points of each household of enterprise that we’re in. This isn’t nearly presenting great trend and residential product. It’s additionally about making a enjoyable, inviting and social ambiance.”

Naturally, the Italian marketing campaign is the lead story in Bloomingdale’s trend catalogue, which arrives at properties through the first week of September. The marketing campaign additionally has an 80-second video that was shot in Rome with fashions in unique kinds in opposition to the backdrop of the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum and different historic landmarks of town. All of it works to seize a romantic temper, Berman mentioned. There might be shorter variations of the video operating on social media channels corresponding to TikTok, Instagram and YouTube in addition to linked TV. Moreover, Bloomingdale’s may have a microsite on-line dedicated to the occasion. “The marketing campaign will reside in our shops, on-line, in print, digital and outside as properly,” Berman mentioned.

Berman wouldn’t disclose the advertising and marketing funds for the Italian marketing campaign, aside from saying that it’s the retailer’s costliest marketing campaign of 2024, and is costing greater than what Bloomingdale’s spent on advertising and marketing its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary two years in the past.

Requested why Bloomingdale’s determined to highlight Italy right now, Bron replied, “While you take a look at the merchandise we’re promoting, the lifestyle, our aesthetic, it’s makes a whole lot of sense to have fun Italy. Our groups are specialists in growing these form of occasions, and so they confirmed that just lately with the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary, however we’ve pushed it this 12 months to the subsequent degree.”

Bron acknowledged that “From Italy, With Love” displays some continuity from what’s been carried out up to now. Then again, “That is going to be method greater, extra impactful with extra experiences, newness, exclusives and collaborations,” the CEO mentioned. “The way in which buyer habits is evolving now, consumers are looking for new merchandise, new manufacturers, particular companies and experiences. So we’re actually pushing and bringing these campaigns to a subsequent degree, matching present buyer habits.

“It’s going to be extraordinarily spectacular,” Bron mentioned. From the time you first enter the 59th Road flagship on Sept. 5, “You can be stunned, after which you’ll come across one shock after one other shock. No matter class you’re visiting, regardless of the flooring you’re on, you will notice the flavour of Italy [encompassing] companies, unique merchandise, animations, activations, etcetera, from the decrease flooring to the higher flooring. Each single flooring might be custom-made round this Italian marketing campaign.” He additionally believes the marketing campaign will equally evoke a component of shock and discovery on the Bloomingdale’s e-commerce web site.

Among the many highlights of the marketing campaign is okay jewellery, which might be spotlighted with a “full suite” of one-of-a-kind jewels, obtainable solely at Bloomingdale’s, from Crivelli and Marco Bicego, Ippolita, Roberto Coin and different manufacturers. A 52-carat assortment has been designed by Alberto Milani, that includes a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings.

In trend, there might be unique items from Max Mara, Ferragamo and Valentino, in addition to a one-of-a-kind costume designed by Giambattista Valli, impressed by his love of journey.

Officers additionally indicated that males’s tailoring and premium choices from Canali, Corneliani, Armani, Tod’s, Ferragamo and Peserico, amongst others, might be a part of this system.

Isaia will launch a bespoke made-to-measure service as part of an Italian grasp tailor occasion. Bloomingdale’s non-public label, The Males’s Retailer, will introduce unique Italian leather-based equipment and tailor-made fits crafted with Loro Piana cloth.

As a central element of the 59th Road programming, Salone del Cellular.Milano can pay tribute to Italian design. The flagship will host a particular exhibition with an set up titled “Italian Design: From Traditional to Up to date,” showcasing merchandise from 23 Italian manufacturers, all exhibitors of the Salone del Cellular.Milano commerce honest. Architect Ferruccio Laviani is curating the set up, which took inspiration from Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysical piazzas.

There might be a bunch of unique collaborations with AC Milano x Off White, Rag & Bone x Lucali, Dave’s New York x Roy Rogers and Kartell x Missoni. As well as, 10 new manufacturers together with Gallia Knitwear, Joshua Sanders, Il Bisonte, Artico, The Andamane, Vibi Venezia and Paris Texas, might be featured inside the assortment.

An Il Mercato 1,600-square-foot market might be at 59th Road, on the primary flooring, promoting connoisseur sauces, selfmade pasta, olive oils and occasional curated by area, from De’Longhi, Il Buco Vita and Giadzy, and “Unlucky Portrait T-shirts” packaged in pizza containers.

“It’s actually outstanding to see ‘From Italy, With Love’ come to life following such in depth planning and strategic collaboration throughout the group,” mentioned Berman. “The marketing campaign serves as a novel alternative to unite iconic manufacturers, tastemakers and companions, making a celebration of tradition, design and magnificence.”

Whereas the occasion commences Sept. 5, on Sept. 7, all shops will host kick-offs, placing “From Italy, With Love” into excessive gear, with the launch of meals carts, activations and demos throughout the chain. There’ll even be a briefly remade facade on 59th Road and Lexington Avenue, impressed by small cities alongside the Amalfi Coast.

Right here’s a pattern of a few of what’s forward on 59th Road through the marketing campaign: