Ep 61: Building the Denim Finishing Industry with Alice Tonello

Before there was a denim finishing industry, there was nothing.This week, Andrew sits down with Alice Tonello, Chief Brand & Strategy Officer at Tonello, a second-generation company that helped build that industry from scratch. In 1981, her uncle Osvaldo, a maintenance technician in a dye house, saw brands trying to figure out how to wash jeans and built the first machine to do it. No roadmap. No precedent. Just a need and a solution.From there, the conversation follows the full arc. Stone wash to laser. From early processes to technology that now replaces manual work entirely. From 100 liters of water per garment down to something closer to 20 when the system is done right.They get into what actually drives innovation. Not just machines, but proximity to production, tight feedback loops, and people who understand the process end to end. What “Made in Italy” means when it’s tied to engineering, not marketing. And why staying private changes how you make decisions.There’s also a bigger question running underneath the entire conversation: will the industry ever allow a pair of jeans to be worth what it actually costs to make well? In this episode, we begin to explore that question.Thank you to our sponsor Inside Denim.Alice TonelloChief Brand & Strategy Officer at TonelloTonello, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTubePlease follow us on: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.