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[ STYLE ABOARD ]
THE ATTRACTION OF A UNIFORM
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Floating Life brings Italian-made refinement and quality on board, dressing the crew in garments made in the textile region of Como, a centre of excellence for Italy and the world. This high-end clothing is focussed on owners’ requirements, with an offer that includes made-to-measure solutions
Below and on opposite page, some examples from “The Collection”, a line of technical garments with a sartorial look, always in stock so that clients are not forced to buy a whole new set of uniforms if only one or two crew members are replaced. The clothes are made using Italian fabrics that Floating Life has dyed and made up in Italian workshops
by Samuela Urbini
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he motoryacht world is a multifaceted one, and buying and managing large yachts takes a great deal of time and energy. Some owners prefer to
take a hands-on role, while others place their trust in companies who take care of these services for them. Floating Life, a predominantly Swiss group comprising seven companies, specialises in this complex field. At the moment it handles all-round management of eighteen yachts, dealing with all the demands of running a vessel of this kind, from crew to logistics, administration and technical supervision during the winter period. Through Floating Life Charter & Brokerage it works in sales, purchasing and charter, and Floating Life Italy, based in Varese, mainly handles the design, production and sales of Italian-made crew uniforms. The emphasis on outstanding quality is the choice of Floating Life CEO Barbara Tambani, who was responsible for the idea behind these products. She and her husband, Andrea Pazzini, each own 50% of the company. Tambani personally follows the group’s entire administrative, financial and commercial activities, coordinating a team of thirty. Given her long experience in this field she is well-versed in the secrets behind effective management of yachts like these - the most important is being able to anticipate the requirements of the demanding clients she represents. “In 2006 I said to my husband that I’d like to create something feminine”, says Barbara Tambani. “I noticed that changing uniforms was a significant element in a yacht’s budget, and the main reason was that our competitors had a different corporate strategy from the one we follow – they would renew garments almost every year. If one single crew member was replaced, they were obliged to buy 145
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a whole new set of uniforms because the previous year’s models were no longer in production”. This inspired the idea of creating crew uniforms while looking at the situation from the point of view of the owner – he or she may have a large budget at their disposal, but that doesn’t mean there should be no limits on spending. “I took on a very young stylist”, says Tambani. “I created my collection with her, supervising all the details. We now offer two lines – the first is “The Collection”, technical garments produced using exclusively Italian fabrics that we have dyed and made up in workshops in northern Italy. The garments are always in stock, so a yacht is free to buy even just two sets of Bermuda shorts because they’ve changed two crew members. The Privée Collection, though, is made-to-measure, so garments made in the past are sources of inspiration but can’t be repeated”. We offer garments with special embroidery or made using luxury fabrics that are greatly admired by clients with large yachts from 70 metres in length and with a crew of as many thirty people. Our owners want their staff to stand out. We complement this with highend service – our stylist goes on board and designs the models right there, taking the entire crew’s measurements. They’ll then be sent a parcel with all their personalised uniforms, bearing their names. They’re durable garments that don’t fade and don’t cause allergies because the fabrics are selected and made up in line with European standards. For the technical clothing, for example, we chose a sanitised fabric that’s also used in hospitals. “Italy possesses a degree of design and production excellence that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. It would be a sacrilege not to exploit this!” says Tambani, who plans to become owner within a year of a workshop that will work exclusively for Floating Life, giving her direct control of garment production times. https://floatinglifestyle.com
Left, and in the two black models on opposite page, some examples from the “Privée”, with entirely personalised fabrics, cuts and decorations. Made for a Russian client, they feature gilded macrame embroidery. Opposite page, top, CEO and co-owner of Floating Life Barbara Tambani, the mind behind the uniform line
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