With his leonine features and all-black uniform, Italian-born Renzo Rosso cuts a distinctive figure in high-fashion circles. He is the founder and chairman of Vicenza’s OTB Group (short for Only the Brave), which owns a portfolio that includes Diesel, Jil Sander, Marni, Viktor&Rolf and Maison Margiela. In 2024 the group reported a turnover of €1.8bn, resisting the broader luxury slowdown and laying ambitious plans for an IPO and expansion in markets such as Mexico and the Middle East. Though he admits that luxury is “now in crisis”, Rosso remains optimistic.

His recent hiring decisions and willingness to take risks have received much praise. From entrusting the up-and-coming Meryll Rogge with Marni to bringing experimental Belgian designer Glenn Martens to Maison Margiela and poaching Bally’s Simone Bellotti as Jil Sander’s new creative director, there’s plenty to look forward to at OTB.

When Monocle meets Rosso at the Jil Sander HQ in Milan, he is deep in conversation with Bellotti about his debut spring/summer 2026 show. Racks of crisp shirts and overcoats are wheeled away as we sit down with him. In his black shirt and jeans, he personifies a certain ideal of a laidback CEO but, as the conversation veers towards retail strategy and supply-chain audits, it’s clear that he means business.

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It has been a tough year for the fashion industry. How have you been navigating the upheaval?
Wars, political instability, taxes, duties – it’s complex. People are spending less and questioning whether they need more clothes when their wardrobes are already full. How do we come out of this? By fostering a better connection with the end consumer. Shop traffic is also falling. In China’s malls, it has decreased by 50 per cent; in Europe, it’s at minus 8 per cent. The US is at about minus 17 per cent. How can we pay our rent and employees? The answer is by relationship-building and convincing existing customers to increase their spend. To do so, we need to tell our clients the stories behind our products. [UK fashion designer and former creative director of Maison Margiela] John Galliano was the master: every dress had a story behind it. Storytelling sells a product. We’re well placed to do this because at OTB we have always promoted creativity. And through creativity, you gain respect.

What is your approach to hiring talent?
I’m very close to the hiring process of our creative directors. Before hiring John [Galliano], I met him every few months for two years. I would always tell him, “I want to work with you – when you’re ready, tell me.” One day after dinner in Paris, we went to Maison Margiela and I showed him the archive and what the house represents. That’s when he came on board.

I’ve never designed a thing in my life. I’m just someone who knows the market and who has worked with incredible creative directors who taught me how to have an open mind. At the moment, brands are changing creative directors like soccer players, moving them from team to team. With OTB, I think in periods of 10 years.

A decade is a good length of time for a person to be at the helm of a brand. The first few years should be about learning the DNA of a house and not necessarily succeeding. Once that’s established, a creative vision can be developed and market appeal grows. Then, after 10 years, you need to give a touch of modernity to a brand, a refresh. That’s what happened at Margiela and Marni.

When we hire a new creative director, I’m not just looking for someone who ticks the boxes of working at Dior, Gucci or wherever. I’m looking for someone who can do ready-to-wear, jewellery, shoes and bags, interior design and cosmetics. With Jil Sander, we looked at 17 potential creative directors. Three of them were some of the biggest names in the industry. I told them to prepare a plan to turn the brand into a luxury house comparable to Hermès. I asked the same of Meryll [Rogge]. I was impressed by how much these designers loved the Marni brand. They knew the history of the house better than

I did. In the end, I chose Meryll because her vision was perfectly in line with how I wanted to drive the brand forward. And I was looking for a woman because, for me, Marni is a brand that appeals to a woman’s mind.

What are the benefits of being a smaller group compared to bigger conglomerates such as LVMH?
I don’t dream of having a gigantic company – we’re not LVMH but we can be cool and less bureaucratic. I want my team to work with fluidity and an emphasis on creativity and sustainability. I like being able to catch up with people over lunch or dinner and create relationships.

OTB owns Italian leather goods maker Pelleteria Frassinetti and, last year, purchased shoe company Calzaturificio Stephen. Are you aiming to own your supply chain?
The goal is to protect our manufacturing. We’re currently doing audits on everyone who works for us and you can’t stop at the first layer. You have to check if the suppliers that you have hired are outsourcing the work to others.

There are many ways to do so: for example, if electricity is being used at night, it could be because work is being outsourced to people who are underpaid and doing night shifts. So you can check the electricity bills. The stricter you are, the less likely it is that these things will happen.

Are you still planning on taking OTB public?
Yes, I’m just waiting for the right moment. I don’t need money; we’re cash-flow positive. I want to do it for my successors and for transparency. My dream is for all of my employees to be my business partners, even if they own just a single share. I want us all to be able to say that OTB is “our company”.