Harmont & Blaine

Harmont & Blaine is an Italian firm based in Naples that produces, sells and distributes upper-casual clothing, so it sits in the premium smart-casual bracket rather than entry-level basics. If you like Italian-made polos and knitwear with a recognisable signature and don't need loud designer branding, it's a sensible pick. The appeal is everyday Italian style with a distinctive motif.

The dachshund is Harmont & Blaine's signature motif and the fastest way to spot the brand on a polo or sweater. The firm, founded in Naples, built its identity around upper-casual clothing, and the little sausage dog has become its calling card across collections for men, women and children.

The brand is an Italian firm focused on upper-casual clothing, which is a step above ordinary casualwear in positioning. Its range grew from leather gloves to swimwear, then shirts, trousers and sweaters, reflecting a maker that built up apparel know-how over time. Expect Italian smart-casual quality rather than technical performance wear.

Harmont & Blaine is an Italian firm based in Naples, and Italy is by far its main market, accounting for around 81% of revenues in 2014. Its first boutique opened in 2000 in Frattamaggiore, Naples, underscoring the brand's southern-Italian roots.

The company began in 1986, when Domenico Menniti founded a firm named PDM with his brothers and business partners Enzo Menniti and Paolo and Massimo Montefusco. PDM was renamed Harmont & Blaine in 2006, so the name we know today is younger than the business behind it.

The founding firm, PDM, focused primarily on leather gloves. It expanded into its first collection of swimming trunks in 1993, then added shirts, trousers and sweaters in 1995, gradually becoming the upper-casual clothing brand it is now.

The range is broad. Beyond its core shirts, trousers and sweaters, the brand has launched Harmont & Blaine Junior (2005), Harmont & Blaine Shoes (from 2008), a Woman Collection (2010) and a dedicated Man Collection (announced 2013). So you can dress much of the family in the dachshund.

As of the 2020 management change, Paolo Montefusco became president and Marco Pirone CEO. The private-equity firm Clessidra acquired 35% of the company's stock in 2014 to support its international growth, so the founding partners remain central alongside that investment.

The brand has expanded well beyond Italy. Early boutiques opened in Capri and Miami, and it later established Harmont & Blaine France with a first boutique on Boulevard des Capucines in Paris in 2015, plus stores in places like Prague and Qatar. As of 2020 the company had around 140 points of sale.

Yes. In 2010, a co-branding operation with Honda produced a special car, the Honda CR-V Harmont & Blaine. The brand later became an official style partner of AC Milan in 2020 and released an AC Milan capsule collection in 2021.