Pillar of the denim industry dies
A major figure in the denim, Luigi Martelli, has died. His family announced his death at the start of January. Mr Martelli founded denim laundry and finishing group Martelli Lavorazioni Tessili in Toscanella, near Bologna, in the 1960s.
He transformed what had been a small family laundry company into a major player in the denim industry in Italy and beyond. He built up a presence in major garment manufacturing centres, including Turkey, Romania, Morocco and Tunisia. At its peak, the group had the capacity to process around 120,000 pieces per day and employed 3,000 people.
Founder of the House of Gold denim group, Adriano Goldschmied, said on social media that Mr Martelli had been a pillar of the denim treatment industry. “He was an example of honesty and integrity, a great teacher and, above all, a great friend to whom I owe a lot,” Mr Goldschmied said.
