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Charme weaves heritage into design
 Not yet 30, Matteo di Montezemolo is considered a key figure in the luxury goods business. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Matteo di Montezemolo has not yet turned 30 and already he runs a multi-million dollar fashion and furniture business. Considered an important figure in the luxury goods world and from one of Italy's best-known families, the football fan gets as much recognition as AC Milan stars Paolo Maldini and Filippo Inzaghi. In 2004, his father's private-equity outfit Charme Investments -- which Matteo is managing director of -- began to make acquisitions, putting together a portfolio of top-end furniture brands as well as a sprinkling of fashion names. The family was already known for its association with cars -- Matteo's father Luca is chairman of Fiat and Ferrari -- and fashion and furniture came next. The plan, according to Matteo, was to acquire established brands and with them a sense of heritage and quality. Charme's furniture brands fall under the Poltrona Frau Group, which Matteo co-chairs. Among them is the name Poltrona Frau, a brand with almost 100 years of history and where every piece of furniture is crafted by hand. But it is not just traditional goods that fall under the group's umbrella. It also owns edgier names, including Cappellini, the avant-garde furniture brand that helped launched the careers of well-known young designers Jasper Morrison and Tom Dixon; as well as more contemporary labels, like Cassina. "We wanted to acquire something that was the opposite of Poltrona, so we thought the best brand in this sector was Cappellini, very famous for contemporary design," Matteo told CNN. "Then we wanted to have something in the middle, between something classical and something very contemporary, avant-garde. And in the middle there is Cassina. Cassina is really the history of the bourgeoisie design." At this year's annual furniture fair in Milan, there was standing room only at the Poltrona Frau party, such is the following of the family, who were present. Matteo told CNN he gained his understanding of the luxury sector by living it, picking up tips from his father along the way. "It is in the DNA of my family. It is what I have heard since I was young. When I was very young, I was brought by my father to many important meetings," Matteo said. "He told me, 'Stay in the corner you don't have to speak but you have to listen.' So you know it's something that's now very, very natural."  The Ballantyne mill in Innerleithen has been in the Scottish borders area since 1921. In fashion, Charme headed to the Scottish Highlands where it bought cashmere company Ballantyne in 2002. The Ballantyne mill has been in Innerleithen, situated in the Scottish borders, since 1921 and it was the company's history that lured Matteo to make a purchase outside Italy. "Many companies and brands sell products as luxury goods but they don't even have a factory, because they produce in China or through third parties that produces for them," Matteo said. "And we found out that Ballantyne was one of the few real, deep historical labels with a huge potential of growth brands in the luxury industry of fashion. "And so when we started with Ballantyne two years ago, the company was very small, 70 million euros of revenues, so very, very small, but with a huge, huge heritage, history to tell and most of all incredible quality and glamour." Ballantyne's hand knitters produce up to 110,000 garments every year. Their skills are highly specialized -- it takes three to five years before a knitter is fully trained. It's a little like painting by numbers, but when it comes to following intricate designs the knitters rarely have to count. But while production remains in Scotland, the design originates in Italy. That role is filled by Massima Alba, who has helped make the knitwear stylish and cool. For now, Matteo says he's content with all the brands that come under the Charme name. He likens his business style to the way he conducts himself on the pitch. "I play in the center, as I like to play in my life," he said. "I don't want to play in the back I don't want to play too much in the forward. I want to play in the center. "I want to manage the team. I want to have a link with who plays in defense. And I want to speak in the right way with the referee that is always very, very important. So I play in the middle." Art of Life producer Andrea Armsden contributed to this report 
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