MILAN, Italy - It is sad when fashion lives up to its cliched stereotype as a world without loyalty and common sense. News is breaking that Tomasso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi, the celebrated duo behind the upstart Italian label 6267, have ditched their manufacturing partner, Castor srl, to start up a new label, rumoured to be backed by ITC, a division of IT Holdings.

Earlier this year, the pair reached new heights in their fashion ascendancy when they were named Creative Directors of Gianfranco Ferre, which is also owned by IT Holdings. Shortly before the announcement, Castor and 6267 were featured in a highly complimentary article by Cathy Horyn of the New York Times, which touted the value and closeness of the unique designer-manufacturer collaboration as a key factor for thier success.

Given the closeness of the partnership, and its early success, the designers’ decision is puzzling and could prove to be one that they regret in the long run.

Rimondi and Aquilano started the 6267 label as a 50/50 partnership with the Picozzi family which has years of experience in high-quality Italian manufacturing. Once upon a time, it was this family that produced the first complex samples for Martin Margiela, who went on to become one of the most respected conceptual designers of our time.

It may not have dawned on the designers that a major reason for the success of 6267 was the quality, dedication and attentiveness of Castor srl in the sales and manufacturing process. To wit, one buyer quoted in the New York Times article said he “was more impressed with Angela and her factory than the designers.” Finding good production is perhaps the hardest part of launching a new fashion business today, with much of the capacity locked up by the major groups.

Perhaps the 6267 designers wanted all of the credit for themselves or perhaps they got greedy and wondered why they should share their success with the behind-the-scenes partners who had been with them since day one. Either way, this sudden move, which has shocked the Italian fashion industry, will certainly make others in the industry think twice about trusting the duo, which may now become more famous for its Machiavellian maneuvering than its design capabilities.

But, that said, it is IT Holdings that may have the last laugh. As the owners of Gianfranco Ferre and manufacturers for the new Rimondi-Aquilano label, IT Holdings now controls the designers’ fate. They may find that IT Holdings decides to focus their attention and resources on Ferre, thereby capping the potential growth of the new label and limiting the upside that the designers could have had if they hadn’t abandoned 6267 and Castor in the first place.

Photo courtesy of the New York Times.