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April 25 - May 2, 2004 |
In Defense of the Made-in-Italy
Legendary fashion icons Missoni celebrate 50 years in the business by visiting Toronto
By Mariella Policheni
Originally Published: 2004-04-04
As it was to be expected, Vittorio Missoni and Margherita Maccapani Missoni received a lot of affection and attention. While in Toronto to take part in the Toronto Fashion Week, the two designers from the famous Italian fashion house met with industry experts, entrepreneurs, authorities, and city VIPs at the parade that presented their company's 50 years. They attended a gala at the Toulà restaurant, and a masterclass held at Ryerson University where Vittorio Missoni dispensed his precious advice to students of design.
Those have been two busy, rich days for Vittorio, the son of company founders Ottavio and Rosita, and his niece Margherita, who's been working for the company run by her mother Angela and her uncles Vittorio and Luca for some time now.
Kind, nice, and friendly Vittorio and Margherita met the press at Andrews', one of Yorkville's trendiest stores.
Vittorio, the eldest of the Missoni siblings, dressed in the blue shirt and striped vest that have been a trademark of Missoni for the past 50 years. He talked about the family business, the future of Made-in-Italy, and the teachings of his parents.
Missoni is celebrating a half century of activity. How do you manage to innovate while staying true to the style that has been yours for so long?
"Innovation is a necessity. Clearly my parents created a brand with a very strong identity, which can be instantly recognized... people see a certain garment and they say 'that's from Missoni or looks like it is...' On the one hand, this strong identity is an advantage; on the other, however, it is also a limitation, because if we made a beautiful red dress people would think it is not a Missoni and would not buy it. Anyway, we've always been willing to innovate and introduce new designs, but in the past three years we've gone further, with a generation change that was not traumatic. We didn't tell our parents 'you're too old'. We couldn't! Although Mom is 73 and Dad is 83, they have a very clear vision of today's market and lines. They're beautiful people. It was my mother, in fact, who asked my sister Angela to start designing our collections."
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