Italian accessories brand Speetway, which made its debut last year and is available solely online, is looking to expand its presence starting with a two-story concept store in the Porta Venezia area of Milan. The outpost is slated to open in September and will feature, in addition to Speetway bags, a hodgepodge of novelty, retro-inspired items, including clothes, costume jewelry and home furnishings from all over Europe.
“I want to sell objects that you don’t generally see here because if I follow the trends, I will end up competing with already well-established Italian brands,” said Francesca Avesani, creative director of Speetway.
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The brand’s next steps involve expanding distribution to multibrand stores in Europe.
“While it’s still too premature to say exactly where and when, especially due to the changing economic conditions, we know that we will focus first outside of Italy,” said Avesani. “Italian consumers tend to be conditioned to like high-wattage fashion names and foreign products, whereas foreign customers tend to pay more attention to ‘Made in Italy.’”
The company will likely start with the Benelux countries, where the bags have garnered strong interest and positive feedback through its only other online sales point, neobrera.com, which will also be responsible for eventual store distribution in the area.
In April, Speetway introduced a collection featuring nine different models of bags crafted from Trevira CS, a ramified polyester mainly utilized in the naval and aeronautical sectors, with a colorful wavy motif. Prices range from 80 euros, or about $103 at current exchange, for the Sanbabilina wristlet, to 320 euros, or about $414, for the Big Ben tote.