Haute couture and a restaurant with a Michelin star chef, Ferrari's new lines of business

Cooking by three-Michelin-starred Italian chef Massimo Bottura will be served alongside Ferrari engines when the team relaunches the Maranello restaurant where founder Enzo Ferrari once dined with friends and stars from Formula 1.

The Il Cavallino restaurant, closed in 2019 by the previous owners, is now one of the cornerstones of Ferrari's new brand enhancement strategy along with its just-introduced haute couture clothing collection . Two new lines of business whose goal is to offer wealthier customers something more than just supercars.

The restaurant reopens today, opposite the Ferrari headquarters in the heart of a region known the world over for single-seaters. While the new clothing collection for men and women, designed by the creative director of Ferrari and former designer of Armani, Rocco Iannone was presented last Sunday.

The launch of the clothing line marks an important step in Ferrari's new brand strategy, one of its biggest investments outside of the car business, which the company wants to account for around 10% of profits in. the next 7 or 10 years.

With prices ranging from 200 euros for t-shirts to 3,000 euros for high-end coats, the collection has a clear spirit of "luxury", which has always accompanied the brand. “Most are high-performance technical fabrics but with a haute couture touch,” explained Rocco Iannone.

The Ferrari clothing collection will be offered primarily online, and through the company's official stores in Maranello, Milan and Rome. Although the company is scheduled to open more stores in Los Angeles and Miami this year, and in China in 2022.

As for the Il Cavallino restaurant, it stands out that it was designed by the Iranian-French architect India Mahdavi. And which features Formula One memorabilia displayed as pieces of art including the firm's Prancing Horse insignia.

Il Cavallino is not the first restaurant that Massimo Bottura has launched in collaboration with a luxury brand. In 2018 he opened the Osteria in Florence with Gucci.

Known for appreciating tradition with a modern twist, it will offer gourmet dishes using local ingredients. "You can't change the essence of tortellini," Bottura said. "You can only review the way you present them."

The chef aims to give the restaurant "a host of signature dishes," such as a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese flan and very aged balsamic vinegar, another Modena ingredient.

With more affordable prices than fine-dining restaurants, Il Cavallino aims to welcome not only millionaire Ferrari owners, but Ferrari fans and foodies as well.

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