As I sat down with Magherita Missoni, the latest member of this celebrated family to turn their hand to design I was struck, not only by her beauty, but also by her savvy understanding of the world in which her family operates. Model, actress, socialite and businesswoman, Margherita Missoni is in many ways the archetypal heiress. Yet almost surprisingly she’s very down to earth, extremely approachable and seems to have a good head on her shoulders. As the eldest third-generation member of the legendary Italian knit-and sportswear company, Margherita Missoni is already fast establishing her own identity at the tender age of just 26. She may be the unofficial muse of the Missoni collections in addition to being the face of its two perfumes, but she’s now designing too.
Over the last few years, her good looks have allowed her to operate as a global ambassador for the company. She creates a storm of publicity and attention for her family's company just by showing up at parties looking her usual gorgeous self. Many fashion commentators attest to the fact that her arrival on the international scene has been the biggest PR boon for the company since her mother Angela, daughter of Missoni founders Tai and Rosita, took over designing ready-to-wear in 1997 helping re-establish Missoni as one of Milan's chicest and sexiest labels.
Unlike other high profile heiresses, Margherita is far from the fervent partygoer leaving behind a trail of scandal and intrigue for the tawdry tabloids. This being a family business and all - one in which all three children of the Missoni founders play a large part in the business - it is refreshing to discover that Margherita is self aware enough to affirm that she needs to learn and grow in order to take on a key role within the brand. Then again Missoni family relationships are known to be as tightly knit as the clothes they make. Margherita’s down to earth upbringing has surely helped to mould this outgoing, professional young woman who stands ready to take the brand into the future.
The house of Missoni was established in the 1950s by Ottavio Missoni and Rosita Jelmini, who met during the 1948 Olympic Games. Ottavio (nicknamed Tai) was an athlete and the supplier of the woollen tracksuits worn by the Italian team. Rosita Jelmini was the daughter of a family of shawl makers. They married in 1953, and together they opened a knitwear workshop in 1958. Their brand was an immediate success, and quickly worked its way into the exclusive world of the fashion elite, staking out an enviable position in the industry as the pioneer of original colours and knitwear. A refreshing addition to fashion, Missoni ventured where no one previously had, promoting knitwear from everyday wear to high-end prêt-à-porter while adding dignified colours to its clothes. Margherita explains, “Colours are a very important part of our DNA, [at the time when Missoni first began] people would wear blue two-piece suits, so colours were a revolutionary thing. Knitwear too, as knits were not something you would sell, they were something you would make at home.”
Adopting an outlook rarely utilised by other designers, Missoni also distinguished itself through its creativity. Both spontaneous and insouciant, the unique styling and use of only the finest materials has resulted in a eye-catching, distinctive collection. As Margherita puts it, “I think that one approach in general that my grandparents had to life as a consequence to fashion, was always very spontaneous in a way, and easy going, so I guess that reflects on clothes. There is a lot of enjoyment in it. It’s rarely constructed, rarely thought about. I guess it’s never too put together or too perfect and that’s always the way I try to dress.” Margherita goes on to diligently explain her choice of attire: a beige jumper with gold linings that greatly complimented her colour, coupled with dark brown tights, auburn boots, a colourful pashmina and a wonderful selection of jewellery, including a golden safety pin as an earring. She was quite right; it wasn’t put together at all, yet it worked well.
I wondered how much of an influence the Missoni label had had on Margherita’s fashion sense, and proceeded to question her role in the fashion world. Margherita spoke of her struggles to maintain her individuality and creative freedom, while at the same time fulfilling her role within the family company. “Now I’m designing so I’m taking care of the accessories, bags sunglasses and beach wear. A year ago I started following the whole collection with my mother and then six months ago I really took over doing everything like accessories, but obviously under my mother’s creative direction.” She paused, choosing her next words carefully before continuing, “Previously I had had to do something else because it was difficult for me to make a difference between fashion and family. I was always a part of a clan that was in fashion. I love this but its not like I had a choice, that’s why I went to New York and studied philosophy then acting in order to really be away and be myself and do something that had no connection with my family. But then later when I became more at peace with myself and understood how and who I am I could choose to go back to fashion - it being my own choice.” She leant forward in an attempt to make sure I understood what she meant, “But I wouldn’t be able to tell you, if I wasn’t born in this family would I still love fashion? Who knows? Maybe not all, but you are what you’ve seen and your surroundings so it’s hard to know.”
Delving into the family’s history, I brought up an infamous event that occurred in the late 1960s. Missoni was kicked out of fashion week for an innocent mistake that undoubtedly would have been applauded nowadays. Rosita had asked the runway models to remove their bras as they hindered the relaxed and complete look of the collection. As soon as the models hit the runway, people gasped as the sheerness of the Lurex-lined knitted sweaters revealed the full intimacy of what was beneath. The nude look was born. Margherita, with a smile on her face, responded and said, “My grandmother for her time was open-minded and innovative but she would never do anything so provocative on purpose.” She gave a short, nervous laugh. “At Florence fashion week, the title was, Missoni breaks Crazy Horse Florence.”
Currently, seeing how the Missoni name is more famous in Europe than here in the Middle East, I asked her for a one liner to introduce her illustrious brand to the uninitiated, she responded with a coquettish yet succinct explanation: “I’d say, have you ever seen those zigzag sweaters? That’s us!” Her pride in her family’s brand caused her to wax lyrical about the staying power of its fame. “What I’m most proud of is that we are still one of the only fully family owned companies that has survived for 56 years. We have managed to evolve throughout time without really changing our spirit and what my grandparents initially wanted. Missoni has remained quite true to its values.”
Core values are one thing, but Missoni realises the need to adapt as it slowly spreads across the world. In the Middle East, there exists a unique fashion outlook where attire is identity and Missoni haven’t missed a trick in this regard, “I know in the past we made special clothes for the Middle East like special kaftans, which is how we started making our kaftans. This was about 10 years ago and Villa Moda requested them. The Middle East is a big market for us so we would still do special things depending on the demand.”
Aside from the main Missoni line, the company has diversified into a variety of luxury goods. Missoni Sport was initially licensed out but production and marketing was brought in-house in January 2002 and has since been discontinued. M Missoni, a less expensive line, was introduced in 1998, manufactured and distributed by Marzotto (now Valentino Fashion Group). There is also the Missoni Home collection, which has its roots in the furnishing fabrics that started as far back as 1981 through a collaboration with Rosita's family firm. The first Missoni perfume was launched in 1982, although nowadays the license is held by Estée Lauder. And finally in November 2005, Missoni and the Rezidor Hotel Group signed an agreement to create Hotel Missoni, a lifestyle hotel chain, with plans to have dozens of hotels open or in development by 2012. “The hotel business makes a lot of sense because Missoni’s lifestyle image has an appeal beyond just clothes. We represent family, we represent home. My grandmother has been taking care of the home collection for many years and it has been very successful, she won awards, so it made sense to translate these collections into hotels. We made a partnership with Radisson SAS and they opened the first in Edinburgh. We are soon opening Kuwait City and Cape Town. Each one is different yet they represent Missoni in a different way.” Here at Bespoke, we’re certainly fans of the Kuwait location (Bespoke Issue 18).
The latest step has been to embrace e-commerce. Boutique 1, “the first luxury lifestyle boutique to launch an online shop in the Middle East” is brining Missoni to surfers throughout the region. “In general, I’m not a fan of commercial deals, but when I came across Boutique 1 it was really a deal. I was really happy I came across it in Dubai because that’s where we went for the shop-in shop (the physical Missoni store), it doesn’t get any better than that in this part of the world it’s the best partner you can have so I was really happy. They [Boutique 1] work really well, they represent Missoni in the Middle East, media-wise, security-wise and they’re working really well with a professional online partner, which should be an interesting venture because nowadays in shops like Boutique 1, they all try to have different garments and exclusivity to different brands and online shopping has a good business turnover. Of course, the good thing about it is that you can shop from abroad. There are only a few shops like Boutique 1 in the world you know, its comparable to Corso Como 10. So what it [e-commerce] is doing is taking Boutique 1 out of the Middle East, giving it a more international appeal.”
No wonder Missoni has been around for so long, adapting to changing times and forming connections with the up and comers of the business world. Missoni have made a point of promoting young talent in their appointment of the latest scion to a management role. The injection of fresh blood, the continual development of its lines and the embracing of modern trends within branding and sales has kept the company vibrant and truly young at heart.
