The Italian beachwear group which owns the brands DAVID, VACANZE ITALIANE, ICONIQUE and MIRADONNA brands, turns 70 this year. To mark this occasion. A history which is inextricably linked to the economic and cultural changes that have taken place since the post war period in Italy and that have allowed swimwear to turn from an unusual product to the indispensable garment that millions of Italians (and people across the globe) love to wear every summer in all its forms.
AFS is proud to tell its history.
Antonio Fortunato Severino – from whose initials the company is named - was born in Canolo, a village located on the peaks of Calabria, one of the most Southern regions of Italy.
He began his adventure as a trader in Resína, the rag market. It was the year 1952. He buys jackets, dresses, shirts, trousers and takes them to Calabria where he trades them for olive oil to be resold in Campania.
Among the discarded clothes from the U.S.A. at the end of the Second World War, closed in big bales of jute, there appeared among other things garments that were not clothes and not even linen ... It will be understood later that those garments made of a strange fabric were to go to the beach: they were swimsuits. At that time no one thought of going swimming in the sea, those "clothes" had no value. Antonio Fortunato Severino found interesting to cultivate ideas and make plans on things that escaped the mass. He therefore began to mull over the idea of how to make profits from the swimsuit made from parachute fabric.
The shorts were brought to Resina and resold to the sellers of "rags". In a few days the initial capital was increased!
AFS the evolution.
After a few years, the youngest son Davide was born and Antonio Fortunato Severino consecrated the DAVID brand to his name.
In the space of a few years, the brand established itself throughout Southern Italy.
The untimely death of the founder (year 1977) is succeeded, very young, by the sons, Paolo and Davide, who following in their father's footsteps, take the reins of the company and extend the knowledge of the brand throughout the peninsula. Production will amount to just under one million garments produced annually, making the group one of the leading production poles in the sector in Europe. The historic brand affirms itself and spreads in almost all the chains present in Italy and also abroad, becoming a symbol of the Mediterranean swimsuit.
At the beginning of the 2000s another Antonio Fortunato Severino, grandson of the founder, will take up the baton. With its advent, new brands and new swimwear and beachwear lines will be coined, adding to the historic brand David those of Vacanze Italiane, Iconique, and Miradonna - born from the partnership with the made in USA brand Miraclesuit.
With about 7 collections and over 1,000 new models every year, the four brands offer a complete range of swimwear and beachwear for men and women.
Currently, the creative team coordinated by Mrs. Florinda, Antonio's mother and soul of the group, is responsible for the creation of the collections. Sonia, the youngest, provides communication and analysis of the market by providing essential suggestions for the design of the collections.
Neither the pandemic nor the atrocious war happening in Europe have, in any way, scratched or slowed down the path of the AFS which, despite the difficulties mentioned, has seen its turnover significantly increase with an uptick of over 40% in revenues.
Today the AFS collections are present in about 60 countries spread over 5 continents, are exhibited in over 10 trade fairs taking place all over from Florence to London to Munich to Moscow to Alma Ata in Kazhakstan and is represented by about 60 agencies serving over 2,500 customers.
The next goal of the family-run group but with international aims is the conquest of the young segment and for this purpose this summer will see the launch of two new swimwear lines for the girl VITAMINS and DAVID LOVERS. Both dedicated to the new generations but with distinct souls, they offer a first entry point to the AFS world.