Stefano Martinetto (Tomorrow): “Cavalli is focusing on younger generations and the US market”

Cavalli is entering a new relaunch phase with Tomorrow. FashionNetwork.com spoke with Stefano Martinetto, the CEO and founder of the London-based fashion incubator, selected by Cavalli’s owner, Damac, to steer the Italian label into a new phase of development across international markets.

“Damac has both significant resources to invest and great ambitions for the brand,” says Martinetto, who, through his company, is an equity partner in Coperni, Martine Rose and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy. He also oversees a substantial portfolio of distributed brands, including Hed Mayner, guest designer for the next edition of Pitti Uomo.

The deal with Cavalli, announced in a joint statement, has definitively dispelled recent rumors of a potential sale of the fashion business led by creative director Fausto Puglisi. It also marks the start of a “very deep” partnership. “We will work almost as an internal team, hand in hand with management,” Martinetto explains.

“Tomorrow will handle all commercial aspects, from merchandising to category development,” the entrepreneur continues. “We will also assist the brand with collaborations and co-branding, right through to structuring marketing budgets and go-to-market strategies. We will work together four to five hours per week; it will be a highly integrated effort, similar to what we have already done with Zegna x Fear of God or Diesel Red Tag,” Martinetto adds.

To accelerate its international development, Cavalli has chosen a robust partner in Tomorrow, a global leader among multi-brand showrooms. The company reached €130 million in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2025 and operates offices in Milan, Paris and Shanghai. Tomorrow also owns the US agency Goods and Services, which has branches in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Seattle.

The collaboration will officially begin next week, following the example of Cavalli’s successful co-branding with Skims. “The initiative succeeded in giving the product a younger image through a high-impact advertising campaign. The sell-out was total and immediate. The success with Skims is something we intend to replicate. We will be highly focused on delivering projects of the highest quality,” Martinetto continues.

The partnership’s rollout will occur in two phases, commencing with the Fall/Winter 2026 season in EMEA and Asia, followed by the US market in 2027. “The US can once again become Cavalli’s most important market, but the preparation will require a great deal of work. The brand has very strong relationships with several longstanding partners overseas. For the first year, we will keep the market unchanged, without promoting the brand through other channels, also to allow these partners to capitalize on their investments,” explains Tomorrow’s CEO.

As for distribution, Tomorrow plans to shift the center of gravity of Cavalli’s sales toward full-price channels by prioritizing specialist retailers. “We will reduce the relative weight of department stores and e-tailers. In an increasingly challenging market, specialist retailers are performing well, especially in North America and in Asia, while department stores and online retailers are so overstocked that they often find themselves competing on price,” Martinetto notes.

The partnership will also target younger consumers. “The company has not fully expressed Gen Z and Millennials‘ obsession with Cavalli in recent years. Our task is to rejuvenate the customer base and reach them through international channels.” The resort and cruise segments will also serve as strategic growth levers. “We see a huge opportunity for growth across the brand’s resort universe,” Martinetto concludes.