HERNO

“In the beginning, there was water. That which brings vital flow. That which creates. …”

Thus, the incipit of “In Flumine est vita”, dedicated to Herno’s 70th anniversary, summarizes the tribute to the brand’s sublime element: water—of river and lake, of rain and fog, of snow and humidity, the inspiring muse for the quintessential performance product with which everything began and continues: the raincoat.

It was from that 1948 cotton, treated with castor oil from war-surplus aircraft, that a young Giuseppe Marenzi and his wife Alessandra Diana sensed the possibility of turning it into a business. And from the very beginning, with the urgency and enthusiasm typical of that period of great ferment that was the post-war era in Italy, Herno’s vocation for experimentation and innovation began.

Coexistence with the water of the lake and river took shape and became functional in jackets and then high-performance coats, well-designed and crafted with the high level of workmanship found only in Italy, while also useful for protecting against the cold and shielding from the rain, the north wind, and the humidity of the lakeside territory.
This is what water is for Herno: connection, love, passion, challenge, ingenuity.
And success.

After the raincoats, mid-50s saw the arrival of women’s garments, cashmere coats produced in double-face and hand-warped. By 1968, Herno was already overseas in the East, in Japan, with boutiques in Osaka and then Tokyo. It arrived in the West, in the USA, in the early 80s.

And the art of tailoring at Herno became so recognized and appreciated that it was sought after by the emerging brands of those years; once they became famous, they entrusted their production to Herno in the 90s. And they were the most prestigious among French and Italian labels.

At Herno, quality and investments in production facilities have always been at the forefront, the pride and joy of a company that, in the 2000s, returned to embracing change in production processes with a know-how that is almost unique and strongly Made in Italy. And it dusted off its own brand, the one that bears the name of the river that flows beneath the company.

Claudio Marenzi, born in '62, is Chairman and CEO of Herno Spa.
A few years ago, he celebrated the family company’s 70 years, propelling it into an international dimension as early as 2005, when he decided to focus once again on the Herno brand.

“It was anything but simple to improve all this; in 1948, my father turned the lake's rainy climate and the humidity of the water that surrounds us into an opportunity.”

 

Always convinced of the need to create a system and protect the value of the Italian supply chain, Claudio Marenzi served as President of Sistema Moda Italia from 2013 to 2018 and was President of PITTI Immagine from 2017 to 2023. At the same time, in March 2017, he was appointed President of Confindustria Moda, a federation created that same year and strongly supported by Marenzi to strengthen, promote, and protect the excellence of the Italian fashion, textile, and accessories sector on global markets. In 2016, he was awarded the honor of Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, and in 2018 he received the Leonardo “Qualità Italia” Award.

“I never told myself, ‘That company is my life, I only want to do this’... But then, I let myself be carried by the water of the river.”