CINCINNATI—After acquiring Italian-based Mascioni SPA—including the Mascioni Hotel Collection brand—Standard Textile plans to expand on the luxury that the Mascioni name bears.
“What they bring to us is what I call a super-luxury brand,” said Gary Heiman, president/CEO of Standard Textile. “Today, we supply any hotel brand—from one- or two-star all the way up to five-star—but we don’t really provide a luxury product, so what we really wanted to do was add a super-luxury brand to our offering.”
Supplying linen to some of the world’s most notable brands, Standard Textile now has the exclusive right to manufacture, sell and market Mascioni’s products. Manufacturing, specifically, is something Standard Textile puts at the forefront, priding itself on its facilities across the globe. The Mascioni Hotel Collection will continue to operate as an independent brand with headquarters located here.
“In this industry, what these brands want is a supplier that delivers consistency and good service, but that is also close by. They don’t want to ship product from Asia to the U.S.,” Heiman said.
According to Heiman, Standard Textile has some 22 manufacturing plants along with salespeople across the world, making it accessible and proximate to many properties. In addition, the company will now have access to Mascioni’s facility in Italy.
“Our plan is to go through Mascioni’s manufacturing facilities in Italy; we’re very interested in getting more involved,” Heiman explained. “They have—and I grew up in manufacturing, so I can say this with some degree of authority—one of the most sophisticated manufacturing plants that I have ever seen. I was very, very impressed.”
The duvet cover is printed with the Mascioni Color System technique.
Mascioni’s products are customizable, with its ability to take a simple image or drawing and translate that to a graphic or embroidery on its products. Heiman said that he’s particularly impressed with this, along with the printing and design innovations.
“We have manufacturing facilities in France, and we’re talking about the possibility of moving some of our machinery and equipment to Italy. There’s a lot of different possibilities that are now open to us that will make us more of a superpower manufacturer for Europe,” Heiman said.
Mascioni is looking forward to these opportunities, now with the support of a brand that the company feels aligns very well with its products.
“The acquisition of Mascioni by Standard Textile can be compared to the perfect ‘marriage,’” said Angelo Fugazza, hospitality director and brand manager for Mascioni. “Both companies have a long history in the textile industry, passion, knowledge and know-how.”
Heiman agreed and said that Standard Textile is going to invest in the Mascioni brand and build upon its already established reputation for luxury goods.
“Whatever level we serve, people equate us with three things: innovation, quality and service,” Heiman said. “That fits very well with Mascioni. They have quality and that won’t change.”
This quality is vital, especially when it comes to hospitality textiles, given the conditions of hotel laundry systems. Heiman said that it’s the process that makes these textiles so unique because hospitality has an institutional laundry system, which can take its toll—whereas, at home, bedding and other materials finish the cleaning cycle soft to the touch.
“We have to engineer around that so that the product will look good and withstand the stresses of industrial laundry,” Heiman said. “That’s what we do, that’s what Mascioni does and that’s what we like about them.”
This ultimately serves the guests, who are expecting more and more out of hotel stays—such as residential-style experiences. With the time that all guests spend in their rooms, Heiman said, they’re interested mostly in the bed, bathroom and television. While the television may be outside of its realm, Standard Textile can certainly provide in the other two areas.
When they [guests]get into bed, they want to feel like they’re getting into a nice, fresh bed with nice linens and having a luxury experience. I think the same can be said about the bathroom,” Heiman said. “Some hotel properties have small, abrasive towels, and that’s not a good guest experience.”
The company’s Zen Grey Robes
Trends now, Heiman said, are learning toward oversized towels and bathrobes, along with white being the color of choice for these products.
On trend is also sustainability, which Mascioni is a player in, especially with its Dream Cotton percale. According to Fugazza, its no-wrinkle finishing helps these dry 50% faster than regular percale, eliminating the need to iron them after drying, which saves energy.
Heiman said that these products add brand value, but that the industry is still a bit hesitant to shovel out green for “green” products.
“The industry has been talking about this for a while, but I still think that it’s new,” Heiman said. “The industry, I’d say, is reluctant to pay extra for a green product. I think our ability to produce green products or more sustainable products is a real asset, however.”
Heiman said the ultimate goal with Mascioni—which will become the Mascioni division of Standard Textile—is to grow the brand dramatically, which it plans to do in several ways: through advertising, social media, social media influencers and through its website.
“It will lead to growth,” Heiman said. “We mean that because we’re investing significant dollars in promoting the brand, growing the brand and making it come to life.”
Both Standard Textile and Mascioni are looking to the future and anticipating this growth on both sides, breathing new life into hospitality textiles.
“Both of our products and creations can be easily perceived from us and are in the ‘front line’ with our customers and the end user,” Fugazza said. “We have a story to tell, and it’s what differentiates us from other industry players. I’m looking forward to the next few months when both companies will start working together with a renewed energy and momentum.”
