There are inaugurations that reek of ribbon-cutting, polished speeches, and the obligatory photo op. And then there are those that tell the story of a fundamental shift: a reshuffling of the map of European luxury.
The opening of HModa 126in Aubervilliers clearly belongs to the second category. Because here, it's not just another boutique, nor yet another Parisian "concept space." It's a production hub, a place designed to bring together clients —fashion houses, studios, industrial departments—with an ecosystem of workshops, prototype makers, trainers, and material specialists.
The gesture is symbolic: an Italian group, known for bringing together manufacturing companies to serve major brands, has chosen Seine-Saint-Denis to establish a French foothold. But symbolism is nothing without strategy: HModa isn't coming to Paris "just for show." It's coming to offer a method, almost a doctrine, in a sector that has shifted its pace.
Luxury no longer has the luxury of long-term planning… at least not everywhere. Cycles are shortening, materials are becoming scarce, traceability is becoming a high-level sport, and the attractiveness of professions is now earned as much in schools as in workshops.
So, what does HModa 126 really mean? Why Aubervilliers, why now, and for whom? A behind-the-scenes look.
Aubervilliers, a new strategic address for luxury manufacturing
For a long time, the image of French luxury was written within the city limits: hidden workshops, private mansions, historic addresses. But the luxury industry—the real one, the one that cuts, stitches, assembles, finishes, and inspects—has always had a more pragmatic relationship with geography. It seeks space, expertise, controlled logistics, and proximity to Paris without being subject to all its constraints.
This is precisely what HModa's installationin Aubervilliers. The group readily acknowledges it: Seine-Saint-Denis is establishing itself as a new nerve center for the luxury industry, and it's easy to see why. Chanel has already set up 19M there, a showcase and tool for transmitting its artistic crafts. And nearby, other names— Hermès, Berluti, Moynat—have already established themselves, shaping a territory where creativity, craftsmanship, and industry increasingly intersect.
It's no coincidence that a new vocabulary is emerging here: we talk about "districts," "ecosystems," "campuses," and "innovation." Luxury, historically vertical and discreet, is also becoming a network. It's structuring itself, securing itself, making itself desirable to attract talent. And it's expanding beyond its traditional boundaries.
HModa 126: a location that is anything but a simple "office"
HModa's French launch takes place under a very concrete name: HModa 126, like an address that has become an identity. The site is located at 126 rue des Fillettes, in Aubervilliers.
A building that already tells a story
Where it gets interesting is that the place itself is already a small parable of transformation: former Nike showroom, warehouse dating from 1880 rehabilitated, HModa 126 assumes an aesthetic of reconversion — an industrial architecture put back at the service of a sector which is also reinventing itself.
Sources differ on the surface area: some mention 1,500 m² (FashionNetwork), others 3,000 m² (Italian trade press and Luxus+). In both cases, the message is the same: this is a tool, not a backdrop.
And above all, people don't come here just to admire. They come here to work, test, prototype, discuss construction, touch materials, confront ideas with industrial constraints — in short: to do what luxury does best when it is at its peak, transforming a creative intention into an impeccable object.
Four "souls" under one roof: the HModa model applied to France
On its own website, HModa describes HModa 126 as a place where four complementary functions : Showroom, Workshop, Accademia HModa and R&D.
The interesting thing is that this structure tells a very current vision of luxury: manufacturing is no longer limited to producing, it must also innovate, train, archive and explain.
The showroom: a living showcase of expertise
In the luxury sector, a showroom is never neutral. It conveys an ability to seduce, reassure, and prove. Here, the showroom is presented as a space dedicated to the synergies and expertise of the group's companies, particularly through co-developed creations.
In practice, it's also a smart business tool: it allows fashion houses and studios to visualize a variety of skills—shoes, clothing, materials, finishes—all in one place and to initiate concrete conversations. Time is saved. Friction is reduced. And in an industry where quality hinges on invisible details, seeing and touching remains irreplaceable.
The workshop: where the idea becomes a prototype (and sometimes a capsule)
The second pillar is the workshop: the place where “the vision takes shape”, where innovation meets craftsmanship to give birth to prototypes, capsules, unique pieces.
This is where we understand the ambition: HModa is not just coming to "present" Italy in France. It is coming to build trust, by showing that it can be fast, precise, and approachable without compromising on artisanal standards.
And it's also a response to strong market demand: brands want to secure their development processes, maintain control over the product, accelerate certain timelines… all while preserving the prestige of the craft. Prototyping near the creative headquarters (Paris) is a clear advantage.
Accademia HModa: training as infrastructure
Third soul: education. HModa inscribes transmission in the DNA of the place via Accademia HModa.
This isn't just a nice "extra": it's an infrastructure. The luxury sector faces a structural challenge: the need for skilled labor is increasing, while vocations need to be rekindled. Accademia HModa, on the group side, was founded in 2020 with the aim of supporting new generations through professional development programs that blend theory and practice with partner companies.
Here again, the logic is clear: quality cannot be bought, it is created.
R&D: archives, research and competitiveness
Finally, R&D: a space designed to welcome clients and partners, with collections, archives, and areas for discussion. This is far from the "dusty workshop" cliché. Today's industrial luxury needs think tanks: materials, processes, sustainability, precision industrialization, but also leveraging archives (because the future of luxury is often a sophisticated reinterpretation of the past).
HModa, an Italian-style “manufacturing holding company”
To measure the scope of HModa 126, one must understand what HModa is: a luxury industrial hub created in Italy, which brings together manufacturing companies serving major brands.
HModa states that it was created in 2017 and brings together 19 companies, with a 2024 turnover announced around €260–265 million according to publications, and around 1,700 to 1,800 people.
The whole thing is part of a larger framework: HModa is a project linked to Holding Industriale (HIND), a group founded in 2008 by Claudio Rovere, focused on investing in Italian SMEs.
This "aggregated" structure is a very Italian response to a very European challenge: how to preserve workshops of excellence (often family-run), avoid their weakening, and give them firepower compatible with the expectations of international houses without dissolving them in a purely financial logic.
Why France, why now: luxury in an era of strained value chains?
If HModa crosses the Alps, it's not out of romanticism. It's because the value has shifted.
First, fashion houses strengthened their control over manufacturing—some brought production in-house, others invested in strategic partners. But they continue to seek, depending on the project, the flexibility and responsiveness of external players capable of absorbing production peaks, resolving development issues, proposing alternative materials, or supporting a design studio with complex developments. This is precisely what HModa aims to do: to be "at the service" of brands, without becoming a brand itself.
Then, the line between creativity and industry became more blurred. Art directors and product teams are increasingly working hand in hand with technical experts, sometimes from the very first concept. Creating a space where one can move from concept to proof (prototype, material testing, feasibility studies) is a competitive advantage.
Finally, France remains a place where decisions are made. Paris is a nerve center: studios, showrooms, trade shows, schools, events, and above all… the schedules of major brands all converge here. Establishing a presence near this hub shortens the path between an idea and its realization.
A Franco-Italian alliance: overcoming historical rivalry through network architecture
Luxury loves heritage narratives, but industry has a more pragmatic memory: France and Italy have long viewed each other as two competing powers. And yet, their strengths are profoundly complementary.
On the French side: a unique ability to generate desire, to impose a silhouette, to invent global cultural codes. On the Italian side: an exceptional manufacturing density, a culture of workshop networks, technical agility, and an obsession with "quality made" that have set a precedent.
Claudio Rovere sums up this complementarity by contrasting, without really contrasting, a France "capital of creativity and luxury" and an Italy "major manufacturing nation".
HModa 126's gamble is to transform this duo into a fluid value chain : the houses retain their creative direction, but can rely on a platform that knows how to talk about technical aspects, deadlines, quality, and which can, in the future, also bring together French partners.
A hub that also targets French SMEs: the promise of reindustrialization "from the top down"
This is one of the most interesting points: HModa isn't just announcing a "service point" for French brands. The group explains that it wants to aggregate suppliers and lay the groundwork fortargeted investments in French SMEs well-positioned in the luxury and high-end sectors.
In other words: it is not just about exporting an Italian model, but about rebuilding a local fabric , relying on a network effect.
And for this network to work, two ingredients are needed:
- A credible flow of business, driven by proximity to the houses.
- A capacity to secure skills development (training) and to modernize the tool (investments).
On this point, FashionNetwork reports that HModa intends to invest "tens of millions of euros" in France and build a network of experienced suppliers.
Local governance: the choice of an "industry" face known in France
Another sign: HModa is not running the French operations remotely. According to FashionNetwork, French operations have been led since May by Gilles Lasbordes, a well-known figure in the textile ecosystem (notably through Première Vision), with a team expected to grow.
In the luxury sector, credibility often depends as much on people as on buildings. Appointing someone who speaks the language of French networks, who understands the salons, the pace, the requirements, accelerates integration.
Training is the key to success: attracting, training, retaining
If we had to sum up the silent crisis of luxury in one sentence, it would be this: know-how is no longer transmitted "automatically".
Accademia HModa, founded in 2020, promotes an approach that blends theoretical courses with practical experience within partner companies. This isn't about abstract discourse; it's about building a talent pipeline at a time when workshops are seeking stitchers, cutters, mechanics, assemblers, and finishers capable of maintaining the pace of excellence.
And this is where the hub takes on an almost political dimension: training means reconciling luxury with reality, showcasing concrete professions, revaluing the hand, and making the industry desirable without disguising it.
What HModa 126 changes for homes: a multi-skilled industrial "front door"
For a fashion house, working with a multitude of small workshops can be both an asset… and a source of complexity. It multiplies the number of stakeholders, standards, schedules, and risks.
The HModa model offers another interpretation: bringing together complementary skills, offering a more vertical solution, and enabling a brand to find "everything a designer or brand could want for a collection," according to the words reported by FashionNetwork.
This is not a minor detail: at a time when product teams are under pressure, a platform capable of absorbing complexity becomes a strategic asset.
And for the French ecosystem: an invitation to think in terms of "networks" rather than "in-cliques".
On the French side, the arrival of an actor like HModa can be interpreted in two ways.
Defensive reading: "Another Italian company trying to capture the value."
Constructive reading: "Finally, a model that puts resources on the table to structure, pool resources, train, and invest."
The truth, as is often the case, will depend on execution. But one thing is certain: luxury can no longer operate in silos. The diversity of expertise is too great, the stakes (quality, sustainability, traceability, sovereignty) too high, and global competition too intense. In this respect, HModa 126 acts as a catalyst: the future of luxury manufacturing in Europe will likely be collaborative, or it will not exist at all.
A place, but above all a signal
HModa 126 could be summed up by an address: 126 rue des Fillettes, Aubervilliers. But that would be missing the point.
HModa 126 sends a clear signal to the market: manufacturing is no longer the backroom of luxury, it's its strategic foundation. The era of separating creation (glamour) from production (silence) is fading. Luxury brands want partners capable of innovating, training, prototyping, industrializing without trivializing, and conveying both tangible results and captivating dreams.
By setting up in Seine-Saint-Denis, in the middle of a territory which is becoming denser in crafts and high-level industrial sites, HModa offers a concrete alliance between two European luxury powers.
It remains to be seen what this hub will actually produce: collaborations, investments, jobs, vocations, iconic pieces… or, better still, a new standard of Franco-Italian cooperation.
If luxury is an art, HModa 126 reminds us of a simple truth: art does not exist without a workshop.
