MILAN — For the first time, Wolford and Woolmark have partnered to launch a capsule collection of luxury bodywear, to be unveiled Thursday.
“It took us more than one year to overcome the technological barriers, working on prototypes with the right yarns that would be highly resistant and performing, but also extremely comfortable, and that would pass through the dyeing and laundry tests with consistency,” Marco Pozzo, who was named chairman and chief executive officer of Wolford in March, said in an exclusive interview.
Pozzo joined the Bregenz, Austria-based brand as deputy CEO in July 2025 from the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, serving as managing director of Zegna Mexico and chief operating officer for Greater China and, later, as global retail operations director at Zegna’s headquarters in Milan, focusing on expansion and omnichannel strategies and bringing to Wolford his textile expertise as well.
The executive joined when the company completed a capital increase of 25 million euros to support its strategic reset, tasked with driving the brand’s next phase of growth, with a focus on strengthening its premium positioning and accelerating international development. He succeeded Regis Rimbert, who departed in January after six months.
“The collection is rooted in the concept of a natural second-skin sensation, combining merino wool’s breathability, thermoregulating properties and odor-management benefits with Wolford’s seamless construction, advanced circular knitting technology and bodywear engineering, which allow garments to adapt naturally to the body while preserving softness, flexibility and shape over time,” explained Pozzo, praising the Woolmark certification as a guarantee of exceptional and sustainable materials.
“We evolve our collections but we remain focused on developing premium, high-performance materials that also support a more responsible approach to fashion,” Pozzo continued, highlighting merino wool’s 100 percent renewable and biodegradable qualities.
The collection, dropping Thursday, includes two product stories: Pure Wool and Seamless Wool.
The former features a sleeveless and a long-sleeve top crafted from 100 percent merino wool while the latter is developed with an 85 percent merino wool blend combined with stretch, and includes a dress, a sleeveless top, a skirt and a bodysuit. Colors range from butter cream and red to dark wood and black. A top retails at 295 euros.
“People sometimes ask what sensuality means to me. For me, it’s never been about what other people see. It’s about how a woman feels,” said Nao Takekoshi, Wolford’s creative director since 2023. “When a material feels beautiful against the skin, when it moves naturally with the body, it creates a quiet confidence — and to me, confidence is the most sensual quality a woman can have.” He described the pieces resulting as “simple, intimate, naturally feminine and quietly luxurious.”
Wolford will activate a dedicated campaign, dubbed “second skin crafted in wool.”
A look from the Wolford and Woolmark collection
“This collaboration demonstrates what’s possible when fiber innovation and advanced manufacturing come together,” said Francesco Magri, regional manager, Europe, C&E and managing director Woolmark Italy. “For decades, Woolmark has worked with the world’s leading brands to unlock new applications for merino wool. Engineering the pure wool tops from 100 percent merino wool using seamless construction presented a unique technical challenge that required close collaboration across fiber science, yarn development and manufacturing. Together with Wolford, we’ve shown that merino wool can deliver exceptional next-to-skin comfort, technical performance and refined luxury in entirely new ways. The Woolmark certification provides consumers with confidence in fiber content and quality, recognizing products that meet Woolmark’s rigorous performance standards.”
Pozzo has been driving a gradual strengthening of the business, reporting a performance that progressively accelerated in the second half of last year, with especially positive momentum in the last quarter. Particularly significant was the 55.2 percent improvement in Wolford’s operating losses, which reported a loss of 10.2 million euros in the first half of 2026, compared with a loss of 22.7 million in the same period last year, reflecting the positive impact of the ongoing transformation and efficiency measures.
In the first half, revenues totaled 31 million euros compared with 33 million euros in the same period last year. Last year, sales amounted to 75 million euros.
“We reviewed our internal processes and closed more than 40 underperforming stores,” said Pozzo, who addressed structural inefficiencies. In 2024, Wolford was impacted by a series of operational and organizational headwinds across multiple areas such as supply chain, production and logistics.
“We are now in a new development phase,” Pozzo touted.
Marco Pozzo
Wolford now has 80 directly operated stores and 40 franchised units. Retail accounts for 40 percent of sales, wholesale for 30 percent and the online channel for 30 percent.
The brand is available at more than 1,000 wholesale accounts.
“We are not embracing an aggressive store planning strategy, but rather allocating resources to product innovation,” Pozzo said. The company is reviewing its store concept and, with wholesalers, it has been shifting the positioning of shops away from single category to total look at department stores such as El Corte Inglés, Printemps, Harrods and Selfridges, among others.
“We have strengthened our ready-to-wear offer and our layer-dressing styling without neglecting legwear, which represents 46 percent of total sales,” Pozzo said. Men’s underwear and socks are also available in Wolford stores, but the executive said they are “a tactical opportunity.”
Europe is Wolford’s main market, and in particular the DACH countries, Germany Austria and Switzerland, followed by the U.S., “where the average age of customers is younger than in Europe.”
Pozzo is eyeing the development of China, South East Asia, the Middle East and India with the support of partners.
Wolford over the years has partnered with brands such as Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Missoni, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Adidas, GCDS and Sergio Rossi, to cite a few, and Pozzo believes in this kind of collaborations, with more to come.
Wolford has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995 and since 2018 has been part of the global luxury fashion group Lanvin Group, which is going through a strategic reset itself. The group controls the Lanvin, Sergio Rossi and St. John brands. Luxury menswear specialist Caruso in February was sold to MondeVita Italy.
