Canali was founded in 1934 by the Canali brothers Giovanni, a fabric magnate, and Giacomo, a tailor.[1]
In the 1950s, the ownership of Canali passed on to the second generation of the family. In the 1970s, Canali was the first Italian tailor to introduce mechanised cutting machines.[2] In 1980, 50% of its sales were international.[3]
In 2007, the company abandoned its family-managed policy.[4]
In 2010, New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera was the spokesmodel for a Canali advertisement campaign, the first time the brand used an athlete for advertising purposes.[5][6] In 2014, Canali opened its first store in Spain, in Madrid, and signed a franchise deal with the Spanish company Yusty.[3] In 2015, Canali opened a store in Washington, DC.[7][8] In December 2015, Canali opened its online shop.[9]
In October 2017, Canali closed the Carate Brianza factory and dismissed its 134 employees.[10] In November 2017, the company denied rumors it was looking for a buyer.[11] In September 2018, Canali entered the Chinese ecommerce market through a partnership with Secoo.[12] Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Canali changed its creative strategy for more "homey", casual designs to fit the work-from-home trend.[1][13]
Led by the third generation of the family, Canali employs 1,500 people in seven factories in Italy, where it makes about 250,000 individual pieces of clothing annually.[14] In 2012, 87.5% of the total production was exported;[15]
Canali has 180 boutique stores including 52 in China,[4] and is also distributed through a network of 1,000 retail stores worldwide.[16]
Canali provides a Su Misura service which consists of a tailored-made pieces and personalized artistry to make a piece unique.[16]
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