The purchase of raw materials is one of the main areas of the value chain. All raw materials must comply with the highest qualitative standards in the industry, be innovative and able to offer advanced functional and aesthetic features. Moncler only buys the best white goose down from Europe, North America and Asia. While textiles and garment accessories (buttons, zips, etc.) are purchased mainly in Italy and Japan.

A total of 460 suppliers are involved in the manufacturing of Moncler products: the top 40 suppliers account for 60% of the value of orders.
The “cut-make-trim” phase is conducted both by third party manufacturers (façon manufacturers) and in the Moncler manufacturing plants in Trebaseleghe (Padua, Italy) and in Bacau (Romania). The latter employs more than 1,300 people and has been expanded in 2022 with the aim of increasing its production capacity.

Investments in R&D also continue to improve some stages of outerwear production, reducing processing times and waste. These include the 3D Design which transforms stylists’ ideas into photorealistic 3D prototypes, substantially saving production time, reducing the number of prototypes made and further improving the quality of the collections.

The façon manufacturers working for Moncler are mainly located in Eastern European countries, which are currently able to ensure quality standards that are among the highest in the world for the production of down jackets. Moncler directly supervises these suppliers by conducting audits designed to check aspects regarding product quality, brand protection and compliance with current laws, Moncler Code of Ethics (updated in 2021) and Supplier Code of Conduct (approved in 2016).

Over the last few years, Moncler has also transformed its logistics, starting a very important automation process that has allowed the central logistics centre in Castel San Giovanni (Piacenza, Italy) to refine the shipping process, which since 2021 also manages the e-commerce, through an innovative automated system of picking: continuously moving carts pick up a product and move it to the shipping area.

Moncler ensures that all its suppliers comply with the highest quality standards. Over the years, these standards have been – and indeed remain – a key point of product differentiation: only the best fine white goose down is used in the Brand’s garments. 

Fine-down content and fill power are the main indicators of down quality. Moncler down contains at least 90% fine-down and boasts a fill power equal to or greater than 710 (cubic inches per 30 grams of down), resulting in a warm, soft, light and uniquely comfortable garment. 

Each batch of down is subjected to a two-step checking procedure to assess its compliance with 11 key parameters, set in accordance with the strictest international standards and the stringent quality requirements imposed by the Company. In 2022, more than 1,600 tests were carried out. 

But for the Company, “quality” is more than this: the origin of its down and the respect for animal welfare are also fundamental for Moncler. When sourcing and purchasing raw materials, Moncler considers these aspects as important as the quality of the material itself. Since 2016, all Moncler down is certified with the DIST internal protocol.

Key requirements that must be met at all levels of the supply chain include:

• down must be derived exclusively from farmed geese and as a by-product of the food chain;

• no live-plucking or force-feeding of animals is permitted.

Moncler’s down supply chain is particularly vertically integrated, and includes various types of entities: geese farms, slaughterhouses, the companies responsible for washing, cleaning, sorting and processing the raw materials. Moreover, the supply chain includes façon manufacturers, which, using the down, manufacture finished products. All suppliers must comply scrupulously with the Protocol, to ensure the traceability of the raw materials, respect for animal welfare and the highest possible quality throughout the down supply chain: from the farm to the down injection into the garments.

The DIST Protocol, defined taking into consideration the peculiarities of the supply chain structure, was the outcome of open, constructive engagement with a multi-stakeholder forum, established in 2014 that meets annually to review and reinforce the protocol. The forum considered the expectations of all the various stakeholders and ensured a scientific and comprehensive approach to the issue of animal welfare and product traceability.

From the belief that dialogue is a source of improvement, Moncler organised the ninth multi-stakeholder forum in March 2023. At the forum, the new updates to the Protocol aimed at further developing the document were discussed, which also includes three specific modules on human rights, the environment and the DIST down recycling procedure.

The Protocol assesses animal welfare in an innovative way. Alongside a traditional approach that focuses on the farming environment, the DIST, following the European Union guidelines, also evaluates animal welfare through careful observation of “Animal-Based Measures” (ABM ).

Moncler is constantly involved in the on-site auditing process to certify compliance with the DIST Protocol. To ensure maximum audit impartiality:

• audits are commissioned and paid directly by Moncler and not by the supplier;

• certification is conducted by a qualified third-party organisation whose auditors are trained by veterinarians and animal husbandry experts from the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Milan;

• the certification body’s work is in turn audited by an accredited external organisation.

The presence of certified down in Moncler garments is guaranteed by the “DIST down certified” label.

In 2022, 136 third-party onsite audits were carried out, verifying all entities in the supply chain.

As another important step towards a more circular economy, Moncler started recycling DIST-certified down through an innovative mechanical process that requires 70% less water compared to traditional down recycling processes.

Stone Island is also committed to ensuring that the down used in its products is obtained with respect for animal welfare. The Company purchases only certified duck down according to the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) protocol. Social and environmental pilot audits on the Stone Island supply chain started from 2022. And starting in 2023, all suppliers of the Brand will have to be compliant with the social and environmental requirements verified through audits.

As of 31 December 2022, the network of mono-brand Moncler boutiques counted 251 directly operated stores (DOS), +14 units compared to 31 December 2021. Some of the most important stores opened in the year include Dusseldorf, Madrid, Miami Design District, Shanghai Swire, Seoul Galleria, Chengdu SKP, Niigata Isetan, in addition to some important relocations/expansions including Macau Galaxy. The brand operates 63 wholesale shop-in-shops (SiS).

Moncler further accelerated its digital transformation during 2022. Following the launch of Moncler’s directly operated online channel in Korea in 2019, in 2020 the e-commerce site was internalised in the United States and Canada, ending in 2021 with Europe, Japan and China and the launch of the new full omnichannel e-commerce platform. The new platform is based on a concept inspired by the world of entertainment, ensuring smooth navigation and a distinctive experience with dedicated content and services, and that will include also products customisation in the future.

A company whose dynamic nature makes it impossible to stand still. So when the fashion world accepted only a two-season calendar as a marketing template, Moncler had to break the mould. Since the launch of Moncler Genius in 2018, the Brand has created the fashion industry’s most compelling answer to a post-internet world where consumer expectation is shaped at the speed of Instagram. It has pushed for higher peaks, brought other voices in, and embraced its brave nature, always with great rigour. 

The world of marketing in Moncler has been revolutionised: monthly collections’ launches by visionary designers are transmitted from the feed straight to the home with dedicated editorial plans. This approach has demanded absolute coordination between all departments and functions within marketing and with the whole Company.

2021 saw a further evolution of the Moncler Genius project, which for the first time connected all over the world through MONDOGENIUS: an immersive digital experience into the culture of the Brand. MONDOGENIUS took global communities of Moncler on a journey through five cities, sharing the creative visions of 11 designers, all under one show. Opening the event was, live from Milan, Moncler’s global partner and 15-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Alicia Keys, who interacted with singer and actress Victoria Song, who was live herself from Shanghai. The show streamed via a dedicated microsite (https://mondogenius.moncler.com) as well as more than 30 platforms including social media, e-tailers, websites and media outlets, giving all audiences the possibility to access this extraordinary journey that, by uniting communities and generations from all over the world, created a reason to belong to the Moncler universe. MONDOGENIUS achieved exceptional engagement results with 510 million video views and a reach of 4.2 billion.

Moncler Genius has attracted a new community of Generation Z and Millennial customers who aspire to the alliance of innovation and heritage that Moncler uniquely offers.

But in 2021, it wasn’t just MONDOGENIUS. In October the Brand also launched the “We love Winter” campaign. At Moncler, we love winter. In fact, it’s been our lifeblood since 1952. From the French Alps to the world, winter is one of our driving forces. Photographed by the Australian photographer and director Chris Colls and exhibited in capital cities across the world, the Fall/Winter 2021-2022 campaign is a testament to that love embracing multiple voices whilst reuniting family and friends in the Moncler spirit of creativity and collaboration. Amongst them, the American actresses Robin Wright and daughter Dylan Penn, the French music artist Lala&ce and her mother Noëlle, the Japanese designer Mai Ikuzawa and her sons Arto and Milo, the French ‘flextro’ dancer Bats aka Mamadou Bathily, and the models Mao Xiaoxing and Mika Schneider.

D-Commerce aims at defining innovative and unique solutions for handling the online business and mainly deals with buying and merchandising management.

D-Marketing is involved in creating digital contents for clients and aims to both refine the reach and to increase client engagement and conversion. Several projects were developed in 2022 to increase the impact of social media, the in-store traffic and the media campaign performance. One important example is the launch of Moncler Curators on the website moncler.com, which asked celebrities from sport, fashion, business and entertainment, to curate their own personal Moncler selection.

D-Intelligence identifies strategic growth levers through the analysis and management of qualitative and quantitative data to maximise the knowledge of omnichannel clients, identify demand for new trends and products thus improving the client experience.

D-Operations seeks to promote the development of business value and the spread of digital culture within Moncler.

Consumer Engagement is a department aimed at improving the understanding of, and connection with, the Brand’s current and future clients and at developing the new Loyalty Program, which will include exclusive benefits for the clients most loyal to the Moncler brand.