Underwear and lingerie producer Trucco Tessile buys rights to Italian homewear brand Happy People

Major developments are on the cards in 2026 for Trucco Tessile, the Cuneo-based Italian producer of pyjamas, underwear and loungewear. Trucco Tessile has bought, for an undisclosed amount, Italian homewear brand Happy People, renowned for its cheerful, insouciant, creative and colourful style. “The acquisition marks a new chapter in the history of [Trucco Tessile], as the group aims to continue to grow and innovate while abiding by its values of quality, creativity and care for people,” said Agostino Trucco, CEO of Trucco Tessile since January 1, speaking to FashionNetwork.com.

Happy People was created with the goal of fostering joy and good cheer, and is well-known for its family-oriented collections and its distinctive depictions of two characters, a wolf and a sheep, that have become symbols of affection, close familiarity and good humour. “Happy People is much more than a brand, it’s a way of looking at life with joy,” said Trucco. “Welcoming [Happy People] into our family means believing in the value of emotions, in the power of a smile, and in the strength of stories that unite people. It’s a development that looks to the future with confidence, and goes hand in hand with our desire to keep innovating without losing our sense of humanity,” he added.
 
“[Happy People] is a label that has made history in its segment, so it cropped up on our radar. Let me underline that the company wasn’t going through a rough patch, business was buoyant, the owners simply decided to sell,” said Trucco. “As a result, we’re dealing with a brand (since we bought just the brand name – and only the rights relating to the apparel, pyjamas and underwear categories – we didn’t buy the company that produces Happy People) that is sound and well-established. It has an extremely strong identity, and is an interesting complement to our portfolio,” he added.

Trucco Tessile’s new acquisition is vertically integrated and has a strong product focus, complementing the Cuneo group’s nightwear know-how. The group’s portfolio also includes Julipet, a high-end men’s underwear brand, Boglietti, a women’s lingerie brand whose positioning was recently elevated from the market’s mid-range to the premium segment, and Alpina, a mid-range women’s and men’s underwear brand. “Style-wise, Happy People is entirely different from Boglietti, which targets elegant, understated and sophisticated women. Happy People’s brand narrative is fun, amusing and family-friendly,” said Trucco. “Besides, Happy People is a concept that goes beyond a mere product, pyjamas, and tells a love story – a strictly platonic one – between a wolf and a sheep.”

Happy People’s household linen range remains instead, as before, the property of Italian Textile Company, based in Ferno, near Varese. Trucco Tessile is planning to expand Happy People’s retail footprint both in Italy and abroad through the wholesale and e-tail channels. The brand is currently distributed via some 400 stores in Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Greece.

In 2024, Trucco Tessile generated a revenue of €9 million, with e-tail sales growing and accounting for 10% of the total. “Through the new three-year business plan I have drawn up,” said Trucco, “we’ll try to align our three channels, i.e. e-commerce, the DTC channel consisting of our physical stores (we have a dozen) and the wholesale business, to become as much as possible an omni-channel company.”
 
As for Trucco Tessile’s other brands, Boglietti has developed a range that utilises natural fabrics like cotton, cotton-linen and cotton-bamboo blends, characterised by an “elegant, pared-down style consistent with the brand identity strategy we have implemented for the underwear and nightwear lines,” said Trucco.

Julipet’s new nightwear is an ode to colour: “we’re well aware that blue is the colour of the night and of Julipet, and is synonymous with elegance, but we’re bringing alternatives to the market. Our watchwords this year are colour, colour, colour. The same goes for [Julipet] swimwear, and of course there’s a whole range of Julipet apparel, chiefly travelwear, featuring ultra-resistant, breathable, fresh and lightweight high-tech fabrics. Our new Oxford line, with a dozen SKUs, is absolutely innovative. It’s a highly streamlined range in a wide variety of colours, whose key feature is the use of high-tech  fabrics with specific functions. The garments are comfortable, extremely functional, and highly suitable for people who travel a lot,” said Trucco.
 
Alpina, which operates a handful of monobrand stores in Piedmont and is designed for everyday use, has functionality as its key feature. The brand’s hero products are its signature pyjamas, but Trucco Tessile is working to expand Alpina’s assortment to include sportswear, starting from the Fall/Winter 2026-27 season.