BIOGRAPHY
Missoni story
1921
Ottavio Missoni, known as Tai, was born in Ragusa (Dalmatia) to Teresa de Vidovich, countess of Capocesto and Ragosniza and to Captain “de mar” Vittorio, son of a Friulian magistrate who moved to Dalmatia when it was Austrian territory. In childhood he moved to Zara, then studied in Trieste and Milan.
1931
Rosita Jelmini was born in Golasecca, a town along the banks of the Ticino, in the province of Varese. Not far from home is the shawl and embroidered fabric factory founded by the maternal grandparents, the Torranis, where parents Angelo Jelmini and Diamante Torrani worked.
1937
At the Milan arena, at the age of 16, Ottavio beat the then world record holder of the 800m, the American Robinson, in the 400 meters with a time of 48.8s. Time that still remains the best Italian performance of a sixteen-year-old.
Called to join the Italian Athletics National Team, with the blue shirt in Paris he beat the French over 400 metres.
1939
He is the absolute Italian champion on the 400 meters and in Vienna he wins the title of World Student Champion.
1942
During the war Ottavio militates in Africa and is taken prisoner by the British. He stayed in Egypt as a “guest of Her Britannic Majesty” for four years.
1946
Rosita studies languages at the Rosetum College in Besozzo (Va). Ottavio returned to Italy at the end of the year and lived between Trieste and Milan. He completely interrupts the studies that actually had never begun.
1947
He resumed his competitive activity competing for the prestigious Gallaratese Gymnastics Society of which he will be captain. For six years the ‘Gallaratese’ will win the absolute Italian title of club.
1948
In June Rosita graduates in modern languages and goes to improve her knowledge of the English language in London.
Ottavio participates in the London Olympics with the Italian Athletics National Team.
Rosita and her fellow students are present at Wembley Stadium on the day in which Ottavio wins his battery in the 4oo meters hurdles thus conquering a place in the final.
They met in those days thanks to Rosita’s friendship with Ivana Testa, daughter of Franco Testa, president of the Gallaratese Gymnastics Society. In Trieste Ottavio starts a knitwear business with his friend Giorgio Oberweger. In a small factory, four machines in all, he produces wool training suits, the ‘Venjulia’. These will be the suits adopted as the uniform by the Italian National Team
1949
After completing her studies, Rosita began to collaborate on the creative side of the family business following the work of her father Angelo Jelmini.
1950
Ottavio is 4th at the European Athletics Championships in Bruxelles over the 400m hurdles.
1951
Ottavio and Rosita get engaged
1953
On April 18 Ottavio and Rosita get married in Golasecca. They therefore settled in Gallarate, not far from Milan. In the basement of the house they set up a small knitwear workshop, continuing together the activity started by Ottavio in Trieste.
Ottavio competed for the last time in the national team in 1953 at the age of 32: 17 years old with the blue shirt, perhaps a record as regards the specialties of the race.
1954
Vittorio was born on April 25th.
1955
They work for the boutique of Biki of Milan in collaboration with Louis Hidalgo with whom they will later make small special collections for la Rinascente in Milan.
1956
Luca was born on July 4th.
1958
They present the small fashion collection called Milano-Simpathy at La Rinascente. A colorful striped shirt-dress stands out in the windows of Piazza del Duomo and Brunetta depicts him with her immediate features and communications for an advertising page in the Corriere della Sera. A ‘Missoni’ label has recently been sewn into these dresses. Angela was born on December 26th.
1960
Their clothes start appearing in fashion magazines.
1961
As the business grew, they moved to a larger laboratory, still in Gallarate.
1962
They rediscover the Rachel machines, until then used only to make shawls, and use them to create brand new very colorful and super light dresses.
1963
They begin to experiment on rayon-viscose which will be one of their favorite fibers.
1965
The first journalist who takes a serious interest in Tai and Rosita’s work is Anna Piaggi with his infallible talent-scout nose. She is fashion editor for Arianna di Mondadori and with her husband, the photographer Alfa Castaldi, will always follow them season by season giving voice to their collections with very personalreleases’.
Rosita is invited by her parents to the Genoa-New York maiden voyage of the ship ‘Michelangelo’. In May in New York, through mutual friendships that he had cultivated in Paris during his already frequent business trips, she meets Emmanuelle Kahn, a young French designer to whom she will propose a collaboration the following year.
1966
In June they have great success by presenting to the press, at Theatre Gerolamo in Milan, their first fashion show with the Fall Winter 1966 collection. It is a collection that breaks with the traditional patterns of the use of knits.
“Splendid girls armed with colored felt-tip pens, traced signs and drawings on a backdrop that also served as from ‘transparent’ behind which the mannequins repeated, in a whirlwind of changes of light, the gestures made in the proscenium and almost visibly changed the toilets which would reappear in an authentic dimension in front of the transparent. A kind of magic made up of Chinese shadows that took shape and resumed it in this carousel of surprises”, writes Carletto Colombo, director of the theatre, of that evening-event. It is said that the vertical “cut” in the backdrop of the scene from which the models emerged must have been made by Lucio Fontana, at Colombo’s request. But the artist was out of town. In November at the 12th port-à-porter show in Paris they present the Spring Summer 1967 collection.
1967
They conquer their first cover on Arianna.
In April they are present for the first time at the Palazzo Pitti fashion shows in Florence.
Rosita realizes at the last moment that the mannequins didn’t have what Marilyn Monroe called “ the intimates” of the right color under the very light lamé blouses and sends them on the platform without a bra under the shirt which, in the light of the spotlights, becomes transparent. The reproaches of the executives rained down: “What do they think, that Pitti is the Crazy Horse?”. Elsa Rossetti opens the piece with the title “Even a sexy evening at the fashion shows in Florence” and comments: “Missoni’s ideas were the most whimsical and eccentric of the day”. But not everyone understands. So in the following edition, while in Paris Yves Saint Laurent launches the nude look, Tai and Rosita are not invited to Florence. Thus they take the opportunity to present their summer collection in Milan at Piscina Solari in what is defined as “a memorable and singular aquatic show” based on inflatable armchairs and floating and transparent furniture.
In this year they bring their collection for sale in Paris, achieving growing success.
1968
Even the USA is starting to take notice of their work and in France Elle puts a ‘Missoni’ on the cover.
In Cefalù they receive the ‘Moda Mare’ award.
In autumn for interest of Consuelo Crespi Tai e Rosita met Diana Vreeland at Grand Hotel in Rome. “Who says there are 7 colors? There are also tones!”. It is the famous phrase that Diana Vreeland says on this occasion and it will be she who will later organize a series of meetings for them in New York with the most important buyers, fairy godmother and tutelary deity from overseas
1969
In April, Woman’s Wear Daily, the newspaper considered to be the verb of fashion, dedicated the opening page to Missoni, writing: “Missoni leads the way with one of the most sinful dresses among those inspired by Art Deco”.
They built the new plant in Sumirago based on a project by Enrico Buzzi. In the hills, between woods and countryside, where you can see Monte Rosa as Rosita has always seen it from Golasecca. “To work in a place considered ideal for spending the weekend… If anything, you go to the city for the weekend,” says Ottavio.
1970
In April, Tai and Rosita break the mold again and present a hugely successful collection in Florence, giving way to a new and graphic interpretation of dressing for women and also for men. The style that the Americans will baptize as ‘Put-Together’.
Maria Pezzi writes in Il Giorno: “Although I have already illustrated a model by Missoni, it is impossible not to talk again about the success of this collection which some authorities have defined as one of the most beautiful in Europe. Very personal and current with models that form a mosaic of mosaics, in multiple processes, merging that bit of modern folklore with an exceptional and absolutely new chic”. Ottavio and Rosita Missoni become ‘the Missonis’.
In November, at the invitation of Diana Vreeland, Ottavio and Rosita present their creations in New York in a suite at the Palace Hotel in front of the Fashion coordinators of the most important Department Stores in New York and the entire editorial staff of Vogue America.
In December, Bill Cunningham headlined the Chicago Tribune: “Sensational shirt in Italy. Colors that are a revelation of natural beauty… in an absolutely unexpected mix that captures the free atmosphere of today’s fashion. The buyers of the most important department stores lined up in front of the door of the Missoni apartment at the Hotel Plaza”.
1971
For the cover of the February issue of Vogue Men, Oliviero Toscani photographs Lino Capolicchio, defined as “the best young actor in Italian cinema”, with an exclusive patchwork created by Ottavio Missoni at the request of the journalist Anna Piaggi. The SS 1971 Collection is sold in New York by Saks Fifth Avenue.
In March, the Missonis present in Cortina an après-ski women’s collection: a total look of solid color knit suits with multicolor inserts patchwork. The newspapers began to compare Ottavio’s chromatic compositions to contemporary works of art.
In November, Bernadine Morris wrote in the New York Times: “This is what Chanel would do if she were still alive, young and working in Italy”.
1972
In spring, the Los Angeles Times presents the Missonis as “The New Status Symbol of Italian Design”.
In May again, Bernadine Morris writes in the New York Times in an article dedicated to the Missonis: “They make the best knitwear in the world, someone says the most beautiful fashion in the world”.
The SS 1972 Collection is sold in Dallas by Neiman Marcus.
In November Woman’s Wear Daily in an editorial “Who has Fashion Power?” places the Missonis among the twenty Fashion Powers in the world.
The family moves to the new house in Sumirago built in the woods adjacent to the company.
1973
In September in Dallas the Missonis receive the ‘Neiman Marcus Fashion Award’, the prestigious international award for Fashion, the equivalent of the Oscar, which since the year it was established (1938) has been awarded to names such as Schiaparelli, Chanel, Dior, Pucci and even Georges Braque for his jewelery collection . The motivation: “Husband and wife together have dared new dimensions and new color relationships in the use of traditional knitting machines, so much so that today they are the most powerful force in the field of knitwear for men and women”.
Comment on Il Giorno Maria Pezzi: “Their put-together look, that is this free, coordinated fashion left to the choice and personal taste of the customers has become universal. In general, the winners are called the ‘unmistakables’, those who are never wrong, because they have created a current, universally accepted style and the seasonal change is so gradual as to never alter ‘the image it is a guarantee’”.
Il ‘Patchwork Missoni’ is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, conferred by Bill Cunningham. Other ‘Missonis’ can be found at the Museum of Fine Arts in Dallas and at the Museum of Costume in Bath in England.
The first collection of household linen produced in the United States by Fieldcrest is born.
1974
The Missonis leave Florence and the Pitti platform. In order to fully present their collection, they choose Milan, their natural home. French Marie Claire dedicates a six-page service to the collection with the following titles: “Art: une leçon de tricot et de couleur… L’ inspiration d’un nouveau style”.
In autumn, Hebe Dorsey wrote in the International Herald Tribune: “The Missonis do something that only great designers can do. They have established a style and they work on it, improving it, instead of changing everything every season”.
In autumn June Weir and Joan Buck on the WWD they write: “Missoni already offers a good reason to come to Milan. But Rosita and Tai Missoni are no longer just Italian fashion, they are world leaders”.
The collaboration with Giorgio Saporiti begins to dress the furniture produced by Saporiti Italia in Missoni fabric.
1975
In February, Vogue America in a special editorial entitled “The best clothes in the world” dedicated to the twenty major fashion creators included the Missonis among the ten European ‘big guns’, that is, among the designers who most influence the way we dress.
Gianni Mura on Epoca dedicates a four-page service to them which opens with the title “Agnelli-Ferrari-Fellini and… the Missonis”.
In september Renato Cardazzo pays homage to Ottavio’s work by setting up a personal exhibition in Venice at the Il Naviglio Art Gallery in which he exhibits his fabrics as paintings. Guido Ballo presents the catalog with the title “Missoni e la Macchina Mago”.
Ferruccio Landi makes a complete critical examination of it in an article with the title “Missoni a work of art in pullover format”.
1976
The Missoni boutique in Milan opens.
Ottavio is proclaimed together with Gianni Agnelli, Carlo d’Inghilterra e Robert Redford one of the ten most stylish men in the world.
In the household linen sector, they receive the ‘1976 Tommy Award’ from the American Printed Fabric Council Inc., the coveted prize for printed fabrics.
In November Pia Soli writes in Il Tempo di Roma: “The Missonis represent the new way of life where luxury is not the cost but the genius, the imagination, the simplicity. The Missonis dress people for real life, their structures are elementary, loaded only with designs and colors that pop up every season more overbearing than ever”.
1977
In February Enzo Biagi on the third page of the Corriere della Sera he presents them with the title “The personalities who have changed something in Italy: Ottavio and Rosita Missoni”, defining them as “really proper people, two provincials who have understood everything”.
In November in the New York Times Bernadine Morris writes: “It was about a decade ago that the Missonis elevated home knitting to something akin to art. Their dresses are collected by ladies from all over the world who live for fashion and by those who wouldn’t give a damn for fashion, but love beautiful things”.
1978
The Missonis present the story of their twenty-five years of work summarized in a spectacular retrospective exhibition set up at the Rotonda di Via Besana in Milan. The exhibition obtained an extraordinary success and in October it was hosted in New York in the Whitney Museum of American Art which for the first time accepted to exhibit ‘Fashion ‘ in its prestigious rooms.
Ottavio exhibits his fabrics in Trieste at the Galleria Torbandena.
1979
“They are museum pieces, but wear them as well”. It is the title of Il Giorno that Maria Pezzi writes after the presentation of the autumn-winter collection. “…and then the Missonis arrive with their well-deserved overwhelming success and they overwhelm everything, formulas, calculations, precisions, nostalgia. When the models are like these, they have the power to move like all works of art”, and concludes: “Of course this collection is a ‘pylon’ of new fashion, not only Italian but international”.
In the New York Times under a five-column headline: “Missoni dresses: a success at the opening of the Milan fashion shows” Bernadine Morris begins her piece thus: “The Missonis who have elevated knitting to an art form…” and concludes: “It was fitting that the Missonis had brought the audience to their feet after transforming this industrial city into a fashion hub. When they decided to present their collections in Milan a few years ago, the main fashion activity was in Florence or Rome, now shopkeepers from Australia and Japan arrive in Milan making Milan a European fashion Mecca, second only to Paris”.
In October they present the first men’s collection in Florence.
Still in 1979, the Municipality of Milan awarded Ottavio the gold medal of Civic Merit for his contribution to the prestige of Milan with the following motivation: “ In his early youth, a well-known sports champion, Italian representative at the London Olympics and student world champion, he then devoted himself intensely to the fashion sector, particularly in the field of knitwear elevated to art value, creating, with the collaboration of his wife Rosita , an absolutely original line marked by high stylistic quality, contributing to the prestige of Milan in this sector through a production now held in high esteem in the most important European and American markets”.
1980
The ‘Missoni’ perfume is presented in New York.
The collaboration for the study of the interiors of the Fiat Group cars begins.
1981
In March in Milan, the Galleria del Naviglio sets up an exhibition of the patchwork of Ottavio that Guido Ballo baptizes ‘new tapestries’. Renato Cardazzo in presenting the catalog wrote: “Missoni is not a factory, it is not a stylist, but simply an artist”. The exhibition was a great success and in May, due to the interest of Arnaldo Pomodoro, the new tapestries were exhibited in a personal exhibition at the ‘Art Museum’ of the University of California at Berkeley.
In April, at ‘Incontri-Venezia’ present the first collection of furnishing fabrics produced by T & J Vestor di Golasecca, the same company of Rosita’s grandparents and run today by her brothers Alberto and Giampiero Jelmini and by cousins Renzo and Piero Torrani. From this collaboration, the collections of Carpets and Household Linens were also born.
1982
Their scent gets the ‘Fragrance Foundation Award’ for the best packaging.
Ottavio organizes tapestry exhibitions in Munich at the Haus der Kunst, in Stockholm at the Blumenthal Gallery.
1983
The Missonis make their debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan as costume designers in the Lucia di Lammermoor directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi and the voices of Luciano Pavarotti e Luciana Serra, creating more than 100 costumes for the occasion.
Enzo Biagi in the Corriere della Sera he wrote: “Ottavio keeps running, he is engaged in a long game, a bet that never ends, two pieces of fabric of any color are enough for him, some felt-tip pens, some squared paper, the kind that children use at school, to translate his fantasy; and from those things Rosita will obtain garments of an unmistakable style”.
In November Ottavio Missoni receives the ‘San Giusto d’oro’ award given by the Giuliano Cronisti Group to fellow citizens whose activities and works in the field of culture, science and art have contributed to making the city known and appreciated.
The illustrator artist Antonio Lopez represents the winter collection by creating an unforgettable advertising campaign. It is the beginning of a collaboration that will last several years.
Starting from this year, Missoni has signed licensing agreements with prestigious companies such as Marzotto, Safilo and Malerba.
1984
A new Missoni boutique opens on Madison Avenue in New York.
1985
Missoni Sport is launched, a second line of sportswear, produced and distributed by Malerba under the creative direction of Luca Missoni.
1986
The Association Serica Comasca awards the Missonis with the ‘Premio Italia’ for printed fabric.
They participate in the exhibition ‘Futurismo & Futurismi’, designing themed objects and accessories for the occasion.
The Missonis sponsor the ‘Comedy Italian Style’ Cinema Exhibition which is presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. For the occasion, they present their collection in the halls of the Museum.
In June, the President of the Italian Republic confers on Rosita the honor of ‘Commander of Merit of the Italian Republic’.
With the winter season, Missoni creates the first advertising catalogue. The photographer is Giovanni Gastel.
1988
In May, the President of the Italian Republic confers on Ottavio the honor of ‘Commander of Merit of the Italian Republic’.
In September, the exhibition of tapestries ‘L’emozione della materia’ opens at at the Museum of Applied Arts in Zagreb
1989
Documentary photographer Silvano Maggi, a friend and collaborator of the Missonis since the 1970s, documents the historical moment of the fall of the Berlin Wall by photographing some of the tapestries by Ottavio Missoni hanging on the Wall. These photos are the emblem of the harmony of diversity achieved when the fragments of a divided society harmoniously recompose in a symbolic multicolored patchwork.
In January the tapestry exhibition ‘L’emozione della materia’ is set up at the Collegium Artisticum Gallery in Sarajevo and in March at the Belgrade Civic Museum.
1990
In the occasion of the inaugural event of the World Cup held in Milan at the San Siro stadium, the Missonis are asked to interpret the African continent with their clothes. Thus were born the costumes of AFRICA that Anna Piaggi describes as a testimony of those cultures “that Missoni has in her blood and which she has often translated, through Signs, Shapes and above all a great deal of Color, into Fashion”.
They are commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to design the new uniforms for the personnel of the State Forestry Corps.
In New York during the 7th Gala ‘Night of Stars’ Rosita receives the ‘International Design Award’ conferred by Fashion Group International, a group that includes 600 fashion journalists Americans, “for having decisively influenced the field of textiles and fashion design, creating a style”.
Rosita receives the ‘De Wan Successful Woman’ award.
1991
Ottavio’s tapestries are exhibited for the first time in Japan, at the Yurakucho Asahi Gallery in Tokyo.
1992
Oliviero Toscani portrays the Missoni family as the subject for a ‘historic’ advertising campaign.
Ottavio Missoni is the first stylist to participate in the Infiorata of Genzano in Rome. The Infiorata, which is held every year in the month of June, consists in the creation of flower petal paintings, drawn on the pavement of the historic via Livia.
In February, in Munich, they received the ModeWoche Moda 1992 award, a prestigious recognition “For their contribution to the affirmation of the creativity and innovative capacity of Italian fashion”. They celebrate the event with a fashion show at the Prinzregententheater.
1993
It is their 40th anniversary of marriage and work together.
On June 2, the President of the Italian Republic confers on Ottavio the honor of ‘Knight of Merit for Work’.
1994
In March, David Parsons, one of the most acclaimed American choreographer and dancer in the world of contemporary dance, asks the Missonis to design the costumes for his latest work ‘Step Into My Dream’
which will open their New York season at the Joyce Theater. Later it will become part of the repertoire of David Parsons Dance Company.
In July, on the occasion of the fashion shows, Pitti Immagine and the Municipality of Florence awarded Ottavio and Rosita Missoni the ‘Pitti Immagine Award’ with the following motivation: “Forty years ago Ottavio and Rosita began an original and creative research in knitwear: lines, color, fantasy, invention. A completely new style was born that brought inspiration and art into the everyday life of dressing and that the public would immediately learn to love. Unique among the major protagonists of great international fashion, the Missonis bring to life in knitwear the magic of colors, the physicality of materials, the innovative and refined technique of warps and wefts, the profound sense of their culture. Their work expresses an extraordinary tradition of high craftsmanship, a spirit which they proudly claim and which continues to harmoniously pervade their life and their activity. Pitti Immagine and Florence are honored to recognize Ottavio and Rosita Missoni with the award for an inimitable career”.
For the occasion, Pitti Immagine is organizing the exhibition‘Missonologia’, a large thematic retrospective with more than 100 exhibited garments from their archive, which will be held at the Ridotto of the Teatro della Pergola.
The volume of the same name is published by Electa, a book destined to become a document of the history of Italian fashion and costume over the past forty years.
Some ‘historic’ dresses from the late Sixties in striped mesh knit are chosen by Germano Celant for the exhibition ‘Italian Metamorphosis 1943-1968’ at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
In September, on the occasion of the Closing Ceremony of the World Swimming Championships, they designed the costumes for the television show ‘Sport in Danza’ with the Ater Balletto directed by Amedeo Amodio, broadcast live from the Foro Italico in Rome.
In October, the ‘Missonology’ exhibition is expanded and set up in the spaces of the Museum of the Fine Arts Society and Permanent Exhibition in Milan.
1995
In June the Civic Gallery of Modern Art of Gallarate hosts the exhibition ‘Ottavio e Rosita Missoni Story’, a tribute from the city where their successful business began.
In December, the Japanese Nagoya Fashion Association stages a re-edition of the ‘Missonologia’ at Nagoya City Museum.
1996
An exhibition called ‘Opera’
is created for the Sezon Museum in Tokyo. For this event, sponsored by the Seibu Department Store, Luca Missoni sets up a multidimensional space made up of eighteen rooms, a sort of sensory journey through the most important stages of their work and their history.
Missoni participates in the exhibition “New Persona/New Universe” at the Biennale of Florence with the installation ‘Tra le righe’ by Luca Missoni.
1997
In London, Ottavio and Rosita were awarded an honorary degree with the title‘Honorary Royal Designer for Industry’ (HONRDI), an honor that Royal Society of Art (RSA) awards each year to a limited number of designers around the world with the following motivation: “Over the past forty years, the name Missoni has been synonymous with knit fabric design. Their unmistakable style is recognized and copied all over the world and they have gained an immense following for their unique way of using colors and patterns”.
In October Angela Missoni, on the occasion of the summer ’98 fashion show, he goes out on the catwalk, thus formalizing his role in the creative creative direction of the women’s collections.
1998
On the initiative of Tai and Rosita Missoni, the book ‘Maria Pezzi. A life inside fashion’ dedicated to the journalist friend and witness of 20th century fashion. It is signed by Guido Vergani and published by Skira.
In July, Missoni presents a new line called ‘M Missoni’, produced and distributed under license by Marzotto.
In September, the Missonis receive ‘The Individualists’ award during the fifteenth annual gala ‘Night of Stars’ held in New York and organized by Fashion Group International.
The book ‘Missoni’ signed by Mariuccia Casadio for the ‘Made in Italy’ series edited by Samuele Mazza and published by Leonardo Editore.
In September, the Missonis receive ‘The Individualists’ award during the 15th annual ‘Night of Stars’ Gala held in New York and organized by the Fashion Group International.
In December in Seattle, on the occasion of the twenty-five years of collaboration between Missoni and Nordstrom, a retrospective exhibition is set up which presents the evolution of the Missoni ‘look’ in forty years of fashion.
In December, the new New York flagship store opens in Madison Avenue, designed with the architect Matteo Thun.
1999
Together with eight other contemporary stylists Missoni participates in the restoration of theOld Vic Theatre in London taking care of the restyling of the dressing room dedicated to the actress Edith Evans.
In May in London Ottavio and Rosita both receive the honorary degree of Central Saint Martin College of Art and Design with the motivation: “For your contribution to International Fashion”.
Also in May at the Hall of State in Dallas they receive the ‘Dallas Historical Societies’s Stanley Award for lifetime achievement in fashion design’.
In San Francisco both were awarded the Honorary Degree ‘Doctor of Humanae Letters’ from the Academy of Art College.
2000
Opens www.missoni.it.
In the spring, the Boutique in via Sant’Andrea in Milan is renovated by expanding its spaces.
In May, Ottavio and Rosita receive the ‘Ernest Hemingway-Lignano Sabbiadoro 2000’ Special Award for “the important contribution to the diffusion of art and of the Italian product in the world”.
In September, the new Paris boutique opens at 1 rue du Faubourg Saînt-Honoré.
The MISSONI HOME Collection is officially presented in New York in November.
2001
On February 11, great celebrations in the family and in the company for Ottavio’s eightieth birthday.
In March the new boutique in Osaka opens and in October the boutique in Munich is renovated.
2002
In January, Missoni Sport made its new debut with the presentation of the Fall Winter 2002 collections. The production and distribution of the line were no longer licensed but managed directly by the company.
In April, Missoni was invited by the Government of Shanghai to as guest of honor at the Shanghai International Fashion Festival.
In November in Rome, Ottavio Missoni receives the “Leonardo Quality Italy 2002 Award” at the Quirinale in the presence of the President of the Republic, Ciampi. The prize is awarded every year to three entrepreneurs who have recorded the greatest successes on international markets with their companies.
2003
Born in 1953 the Company Missoni turns 50.
On the occasion of this anniversary, Missoni is staging a large retrospective fashion show: a selection of more than 100 models chosen from historical pieces in the archive with the aim of highlighting the continuity and at the same time the actuality of its language. This creates a spectacular itinerary of inventions, innovations and anticipations unmistakably linked to the history of Missoni.
In May, Missoni is the guest of honor at the Life Ball in Vienna, one of the most important charity events in Europe in favor of AIDS Life.
However, the official debut is in Milan during the October fashion week, with a surprise ending: a huge curtain falls and the company’s employees appear as “Angels ” while the Missoni family applauded with emotion. Suzy Menkes in an article in the International Herald Tribune comments: “The beloved Missonis are like Italian fashion would like to see itself: a big happy family of practical magicians”.
In July during the event “Woman under the stars ” Ottavio and Rosita receive the “Lifetime Achievement Award” in Rome from the President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, Cav. Mario Boselli.
In October, during Milan Fashion Week, the City of Milan gives Ottavio and Rosita the ’Ambrogino d’oro ‘ “as a sign of deep appreciation, friendship and sympathy from Milan and the citizens”.
In November, the retrospective fashion show is presented in Tokyo at the Yoyogi Stadium and in London at the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum. For the occasion, the V&A is staging a retrospective dedicated to Missoni for 9 months.
In April, on the occasion of the Milan International Furniture Fair, the new showroom was inaugurated in Via Solferino 9 in Milan with a presentation of the Missoni Home Collection. Also during the Salone del Mobile, Rosita Missoni receives the ‘Elle Deco International Design Awards’, (assigned by a network of the 19 world editions of Elle Decoration to the best names in the world in the ‘Home Furnishing’) with the line for the bed from the Missoni Home Collection.
In September in London, the Ester fabric from the Missoni Home Collection receives the ‘Elle Decoration UK award’ as ‘Best Fabric Design 2003’.
2004
In January, the Missoni Home Collection receives two important awards in Paris during the Maison et Objet fair: ‘Les Must – scènes d’intérieur’ – prize for creativity featuring an innovative multicolored fringed curtain and ‘Les Découvertes – éditeurs’ – prize for the collection of furnishing fabrics and black-and-white carpets.
Also in January in Milan on the occasion of Macef, Missoni Home successfully presents the new line for the table produced and distributed by Richard Ginori Group. The line is then also presented in New York and Frankfurt.
The 50th anniversary celebrations continue in the United States with the presentation of the retrospective fashion show: in March, during Canadian Fashion Week, the mayor of Toronto, David Miller, delivers a special prize for fashion at the Missonis and in October Neiman Marcus rewards the Missonis with the Dallas Fashion Awards.
In March, Missoni collaborates with the historic Carrozzeria Castagna in Milan, designing the interiors for two models of a special edition of the Mini called ‘Wagon’. The car is presented at the Geneva International Motor Show.
In April, during the Salone del Mobile, the Missoni Home is among the protagonists of the ‘Dining Design’ event, a restaurant setting designed by architect Adam Tihany who proposes to Rosita Missoni to set up the space with the various accessories from the collection: tablecloths, carpets, curtains and the new dishes.
In May, Missoni is the guest of honor in Cairo where, in homage to the Egyptian public, she opens the retrospective fashion show with a special collection of caftans.
At the end of October at the Museum of Fashion and Costume in Brescia opens the exhibition ‘Missoni e Tiziano. Colore e luce dal Rinascimento veneziano alla moda del ‘900’. Part of an exhibition project on the theme of art and fashion, the exhibition bears witness to “… the influence of sixteenth-century lagoon painting and tonalism on the chromatic choices of a great contemporary stylist: Ottavio Missoni”.
In November at the Teatro Smeraldo in Milan debuts the highly anticipated AEROS tour in Italy. Also on this occasion Luca Missoni creates new colorful costumes for the new choreographies.
2005
In February, on the occasion of the Universal Expo 2005 in Aichi (Japan), Luca Missoni takes care of setting up the exhibition space of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region in the Italian Pavilion on the theme “Harmony of Diversity”. After being rearranged in the Missoni Kaleidoscope exhibition in 2006, the work of the same name will remain on permanent display in the atrium of the Palazzo della Regione di Udine where it is still located.
Also in February, a new Missoni boutique opens in Moscow.
In May, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc, one of the most important global leaders in the production and marketing of perfumes and cosmetic products, announces that it has signed a licensing agreement with Missoni. “Missoni is a very contemporary brand with a worldwide reputation. It has a dynamic and elegant image that universally appeals to a sophisticated and trend-conscious consumer”, says Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, President of the group.
In July as part of the 8th Biennale Giuliana d’Arte at the Palazzo Regionale dei Congressi in Grado (Gorizia) the exhibition ”The colors of Missoni” where tapestries and drawings by Ottavio Missoni are exhibited.< br />In September, Wolford AG, the Austrian company, international leader in the hosiery sector, announces a collaboration with Missoni. “Working together both houses will double their creativity and thus push innovation to new heights,” comments Hoger Dahmen, Chief Executive of Wolford. The first models for the spring/summer 2006 collection are presented during the Missoni fashion show at Milano Collezioni Donna.
“The perfume collects 50 years of the Missoni legacy of luxurious sensuality and embraces a ‘passion’ for life’ – says Veronique Gabai-Pinsky, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Missoni Profumi – a fragrance that captures the color and sensuality of Missoni fashion design: modern, lively and utterly seductive like the hallmarks of the Italian way of life.” Margherita, Angela’s daughter, is testimonial and image for the perfume advertising campaign.
2006
In February the Provincial Museums of Gorizia inaugurate, in the eighteenth-century Palazzo Attems-Petzenstein, the exhibition ‘Caleidoscopio Missoni’ which lasts until September. Curated by Luca Missoni, the exhibition traces the artistic adventure of the Missonis: on display the personal collection of Ottavio Missoni’s patchwork tapestries together with more than 100 pieces including dresses, sweaters, objects and furnishing fabrics articulated in installations with a sensational kaleidoscopic effect. The exhibition is accompanied by a special catalog which brings together for the first time the entire collection of Ottavio Missoni’s tapestries.
In March, an international licensing agreement was signed between Missoni and Rezidor SAS for the development of a new luxury brand in the hotel sector: HOTEL MISSONI. The hotels in Edinburgh and Kuwait will open within two years. The design of the hotels is developed by Missoni in collaboration with the architect Matteo Thun.
In September Trend, a leading company in the research and production of glass mosaics founded by Pino Bisazza, presents an installation in its historic headquarters in Vicenza called ‘Villa alle Scalette Wears Missoni’ thus launching a collection of giant vases covered in mosaic with large Missoni motifs.
In October Rosita, Angela and Margherita receive the ‘Glamor of the year 2006’ award from Glamor USA magazine in New York. Established to “publicly recognize the commitment, industriousness, creativity and ingenuity of those who have distinguished themselves in their respective spheres of activity.
2007
The new in-house curated Bimba collection makes its debut at Pitti bimbo.
2008
Opens Fondazione Ottavio e Rosita Missoni, to protect the signature and the artistic work of Ottavio Missoni and the creativity applied to the work done with his wife Rosita which has distinguished them worldwide in fashion and design. The research and application activity that Ottavio and Rosita Missoni have carried out in clothing and in particular in the knitwear sector have always been highly innovative.
2009
In febbraio a Madrid apre la mostra ‘Taller Missoni. El Arte del Tejido en Movimiento’ articolata in tre sedi espositive: “La Moda e la cultura del tessuto: un viaggio tra tradizione e ricerca” presso l’Istituto Italiano di Cultura, “Le righe raccontano, dal gomitolo alle arti applicate” al Museo del Traje, “L’esperienza del colore: dalle astrazioni al design” presso l’Istituto Europeo di Design”. Per l’occasione gli studenti dello IED realizzano IED Lab, originale progetto di ricerca d’immagine sui ‘Visitors’ Missoni.
In June, ‘The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art’ opens the exhibition ‘Workshop Missoni. Daring to be different’. The exhibition proposes Contents and themes transversal to art and fashion to illustrate the universe of creative research and technical experimentation of the Maison. For the occasion, the Gallery publishes the catalog published by Gangemi. Also in June, the first Hotel Missoni opens in Edinburgh (Scotland).
Angela Missoni begins a collaboration with the photographer Jurgen Teller which, for several seasons, portrays the Missoni family as brand ambassadors. Turkish artist Ali Kazma as part of his research, realizes an art project consisting of a video-film that represents the production process of Missoni. Shot in the laboratories and ateliers of the Casa di Moda company, it is part of a series of works that deal with situations of human activity in the contemporary world, such as the fashion production process. The work is previewed at the Francesca Minini Art Gallery in Milan.
2010
In September, the sculpture Movimento Classico by the Spanish artist dEmo is exhibited at the VFNO in Madrid. The statue depicting the David by Michelangelo it is upholstered in a classic Missoni zigzag knit fabric. Tribute to the artistic genius of Michelangelo, the work was created, as the author says: “to unite the icon of a classic and universal ideal beauty, David, with an icon of contemporary fashion, the Missoni fabric”.
In November Missoni takes part in the exhibition ‘Il Teatro alla Moda‘. Costume di scena. Grandi stilisti’ at the Museum of the Rome Foundation. Curated by Massimiliano Capella, the exhibition brings together for the first time the costumes created for the Theatre, Opera and Dance by some of the most important Italian stylists.
Missoni is the first to participate in the Italian Talents project, creating for San Pellegrino the first special edition of the collector’s bottle of water.
In November, Missoni participates with some costumes and the ‘Africa 1990’ sketches in‘The Global Africa Project’, traveling exhibition organized by Museum of Art and Design (MAD) of NY to witness the influence of the African continent on artists from all over the world. There are some costumes and sketches from ‘Africa 1990’ on display.
In November, on the occasion of the Film Sport Festival, the exhibition ‘Ottavio Missoni. A legend on the track to celebrate his sporting career.
2011
Ottavio turns 90.
Rizzoli publish the book ‘Ottavio Missoni: una vita sul filo di lana’ defined by the co-author Paolo Scandaletti as “…the autobiography of one of the best known and loved characters of Italian Style in the world, in which Ottavio ironically retraces his adventure as an eternal boy who managed to cross the twentieth century without taking himself too seriously serious, dictating the rules of fashion while remaining ‘Tai’ for everyone and above all, as he says, not to work too much”.
In October, Ottavio received the prestigious ‘Premio Tommaseo’ from the Association of Italian Dalmatians in the World.
The Missoni Archive becomes part of the ‘Europeana Digital Library’ Project, which brings together 30 of the most important Archives and Museums from 13 European countries (but also Galleries, Libraries and creative industries) to create an online portal open to the public that enhances and makes the legacy of fashion usable. Missoni provides over 20,000 images. At the same time, a physical and digital restructuring project of the Archive is being undertaken which will add to its function as a traditional conservation tool that of communication tool of the corporate identity.
In October, Missoni receives in Los Angeles the award ‘Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award’ which honors style legends for their contributions to the worlds of fashion and entertainment. For the occasion, a plaque is dedicated to the Missoni family in Rodeo
For the occasion, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts hosts a stage of the exhibition ‘Il Teatro alla Moda’
A collection of suitcases in collaboration with Bric’s is presented at Mipel in Milan.
Missoni participates in the ‘Fashion in Italy. 150 years of Elegance in the splendid setting of the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale (Turin).
The photographer Jurgen Teller creates the entire advertising campaign for the Missoni Spring/Summer 2011 collection. Inside the Museum of Everything by Sir Peter Blake portraying family members and their friends wearing clothes from the collection.
2012
‘Ottavio Missoni. Il genio del colore’ is the exhibition chosen by the Italian Embassy in Slovenia to open the cultural calendar of “Maribor – European Capital of Culture 2012”. The exhibition, promoted by the Unione Italiana, then moved to Koper, Pula, Ragusa (Ottavio’s birthplace) and Fiume. The catalog is published by Papiro Art. For the occasion, the book ‘History of Aladdin and the enchanted lamp’ is also published, which illustrates the story of Aladdin with 24 original works by Ottavio Missoni.
In March, Missoni is present with some historical garments at the exhibition ‘Diana Vreeland, the eye has to travel’ at the Foundation Musei Civici of Venice at Palazzo Fortuny.
In July Missoni participates in the exhibition ‘Carosello Italiano’ at Simone Handbag Museum in Seoul.
Curated by Maria Luisa Frisa and inspired by the Commedia dell’Arte, the exhibition displays the bags of the most influential Italian designers who work with fabrics.
The work Movimento Classico di dEmo which represents the David di Michelangelo dressed in Missoni is exhibited in June at the MeatPacking District, the center for the arts and design of New York, and in November at Miami International Sculpture Park.
In July, on the occasion of the London Olympics, the window of the Missoni Boutique on Sloane Street in London is dedicated to Ottavio Missoni with blow-ups taken from photos that portray him at the 1948 Olympics.
Missoni customizes the limited edition cover of the book published by Tashen ‘Fashion Designers from A to Z’ with an iconic knit fabric.
2013
Shortly after celebrating his 60th wedding and business anniversary together with Rosita, Ottavio crosses his last milestone at home, serenely surrounded by the whole family. A few months earlier, Vittorio Missoni had been the victim of a plane crash while returning from a trip to Venezuela.
In September, Missoni was present with some pieces at the ‘Hatology’ exhibition at Palazzo Morando, Milan. Curated by Stephen Jones, the exhibition aims to be a tribute to the world-famous fashion journalist, Anna Piaggi (1921-2012), the exhibition traces the original, eccentric and extravagant clothing style of the journalist through the display of about sixty hats – of the more than six hundred present in the Piaggi collection – which Anna loved to wear with unparalleled naturalness on all occasions. Through YOOX, the e-commerce is launched on www.missoni.com.
Angela Missoni enters into a collaboration with Patricia Urquiola developing a new design concept for the boutiques, applied for the first time in the renovated Milan boutique.
2014
Rosita receives from the President of the Republic Napolitano the title of ‘Knight of Work’ for the ‘Lombardy clothing industry’ category.
The Bosina family of Varese awards Rosita the ‘Girometta d’oro’ for the year 2013 “for having been the founder, with her husband Ottavio, of Missoni, a leading company in the fashion sector, a symbol of beauty, style, creativity and a point of reference for many workers in the sector in our area”.
The Missoni advertising campaign was launched by Vivienne Sassen, whose works have been exhibited at the Moma and at the Venice Biennale.
In April Missoni participates in the exhibition ‘La Moda: The Glamor of Italian Fashion’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London which represents the path of Italian fashion from the second postwar to today. The exhibition will travel to the United States, Canada and China.
In October, the course of ‘History and documentation of fashion´ at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Milan is dedicated to Ottavio and Rosita Missoni , as part of the master’s degree course in ‘Publishing, culture of communication and fashion’.
It is a tribute to Ottavio Missoni who, through one of his unmistakable fabrics, evokes the colors of the sea and the Carso, the joyful spirit of the regatta and the indissoluble bond of the Missoni family with Trieste.
Also in October, Missoni participates in the New York event ‘Fashion Heritage on Madison Avenue’ curated by Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the FIT Museum. It is an exhibition created in the windows of the shops on Madison Avenue which exhibit archival materials of each participating brand for the occasion. Missoni tells the story of the presentation of its first collections in NY via Diana Vreeland and Consuelo Crespi until obtaining the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1973.
2015
In January, the new location of the Paris boutique opens at 219 Rue St. Honoré. The boutique, which extends over more than 300 square meters on two levels, is the evolution of the concept born from the collaboration between Angela Missoni and Patricia Urquiola already applied to the Milan boutique
In April it is inaugurated at the Art Museum MAGA of Gallarate the exhibition ‘MISSONI, L’ARTE, IL COLORE’ which Luca Missoni personally takes care of together with Emma Zanella (director of the MA GA) and Luciano Caramel (Art Critic and University Professor of Art History). It is a tribute to the creativity of Ottavio and Rosita Missoni by the City of Gallarate where they established their business in 1953, arriving over the years to create a style recognized all over the world. Example of a marriage between art and fashion, the exhibition is a sensory journey among more than one hundred works by European artists, from the early twentieth century to the present day, with whom Ottavio and Rosita have confronted each other in their long cultural, creative and artistic. In 9 months of opening, the exhibition has over 40,000 visitors.
Also in April, Missoni participates in the exhibition on the occasion of the conference “Art and science in the third millennium” in the EMSL (European Microwave Signature Laboratory) of the JRC in Ispra, with the installation ‘Wave Visitors, 2015’ by Luca Missoni.
In April, the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella confers the ‘Leonardo Lifetime Achievement Award’ on Rosita Missoni, Honorary President of Missoni spa, one of the representatives of excellence of Italian fashion and design in the world.
In June Missoni customize the livery of the bikes with which MV Agusta participates in the Italian Grand Prix at the Misano Circuit, winning the Supersport category. The replica of the winning bike will remain on display at MA*GA until 15 November when it will be auctioned off by Bonh ams at the Grand Palais in Paris with collectible cars and motorcycles. Missoni participates in the exhibition Abiti da lavoro’ curated by Alessandro Guerriero, at the Triennale in Milan from June 25 to August 31, which will then travel to a number of North American cities including New York, Washington, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In November Missoni launches the new eau de parfum, produced and distributed by Euroitalia. The Oscar-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino makes the film for the presentation of the perfume. Elisa Sednaoui, godmother of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, is testimonial of the campaign.
2016
The exhibition ‘MISSONI ART COLOUR’ is rearranged at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. It is the Museum’s most popular summer exhibition and the fourth most visited in the Museum’s history. In just 4 months it has 20,208 visitors.
In February, Angela Missoni is Godmother of the Festa delle Marie at the 2016 Venice Carnival.
On March 24, the event ‘ Maglific. Knit talks’, a day dedicated to knitwear with installations, debates and a new book on knitwear. Curated by Federico Poletti, Missoni is present with an installation of knit mosaics and a Missoni Home living area.
In the spring, Missoni Baia is presented in Miami, a complex of 146 exclusive residences customized by Missoni under the management creative by Rosita Missoni.
In May Ottavio Missoni Jr takes part in the first edition of the Moto-Challenge Raid Athens-Gibraltar motorcycle race competing for the Riders team astride a Ducati, wearing a suit with Missoni inlays made by Dainese. Ottavio’s bike and overalls will then be exhibited at the Eima cycle and motorcycle show as part of the ‘Love to Ride’ event and later at La Rinascente.
Also in October, the Surface Collection project opens in the Missoni Boutique in NY in collaboration with the gallery A Palazzo for the creation of ad hoc installations in the windows and inside the store with the intention of making the boutique also an art gallery and a place of interest where talks and events can be organised.
In November Missoni takes part in the exhibition ‘Gioielli alla moda’ in Palazzo Reale, Milan. Curated by Professor Alba Cappellieri, the exhibition is dedicated to the relationship between Bijoux and Fashion, considered in its intersections with Italian costume, manufacturing and beauty. A sketch by Richard Sciberras for the SS 1985 Missoni collection is chosen for the cover of the catalogue.
In October, the Municipality of Sesto Calende inaugurates the exhibition ‘Marc Chagall Ottavio Missoni. Sogno e Colore’ at Archaeological Museum of Sesto Calende. Curated by Luca Missoni, the small but significant exhibition combines Ottavio Missoni and Marc Chagall based on the multiple points in common between the two characters and their works: their condition of exiles, their use of
In October, the documentary on Missoni by Magnolia ‘Generations’ is broadcast on La 7, which has the theme excellence of Made in Italy and the generational passage ‘from father to son’.
In November, the Board of Trustees and the curatorial staff of the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) in NY assign Missoni the ‘2016 Visionary Award For Design’ with the following motivation: ‘Your work as a designer and in the context of Missoni’s long history of innovation both artistically and technically make significant contributions to the field of fashion and textile design. Missoni’s work has set a standard by elevating knitwear to an art form. Your work receives praise from everyone being appreciated by consumers around the world”
The award has been awarded for over 20 years to artists, patrons and leaders who represent the best in all aspects of art and design.
2017
In February the Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) of London chooses Missoni as the subject of the FAD 2017 Competition called ‘Art / Design / Color’. Fashion students from more than 40 UK universities present their designs inspired by European artists from the early 20th century to the present and take part in a show in Covent Garden at London Fashion Week. “The directives of this competition are to explore the creative process of the Italian Fashion House Missoni and the Textiles of Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, in the context of the fine arts of the 20th century”. The starting point for students’ research is having visited the MISSONI ART COLOR exhibition. Angela Missoni and Liz Griffiths are on the jury.
The online luxury goods seller Mytheresa.com and Missoni collaborate for an activewear capsule collection in iconic Missoni graphics including a top, wrap, bottoms and a Yoga suit. Protagonist of the film for the launch of the collection: Jennifer, daughter of Luca Missoni, actress with a passion for yoga who lives in LA. She was the inspiration for both the creativity of the collection and for the editorial history. A short video lesson featuring Jennifer’s daily workout was also posted on social media platforms.
SAlso in February Missoni participates in the exhibition ‘Scatenata. The chain between function and ornament’ by Alba Cappellieri at Palazzo delle Stelline in Milan.
On the occasion of Remembrance Day, the Varese Provincial Committee of the National Association of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia (A.N.V.G.D.) establishes the “OTTAVIO AWARD MISSONI”, in memory of Ottavio Missoni, witness of the human drama and of the Istrian-Julian-Dalmatian exile. Awarded through a competition that intends to promote historical study and better knowledge of historical, geographical and cultural relationships in the Italian border area of the eastern Adriatic, with particular attention to aspects of Italian national identity and historical memory, the The award is intended for educational institutions.
In April a men’s capsule collection is created in collaboration with Pigalle, presented by Colette in Paris and subsequently by Dover Street market in Ginza and in the Pigalle shops.
The Mayor of Noto, capital of the Sicilian Baroque, invites Luca Missoni to rearrange the exhibition ‘Marc Chagall Ottavio Missoni. Sogno e Colore’ in the new and prestigious exhibition space of the city for the occasion renamed ‘Convitto delle Arti’. In 6 months of opening the exhibition has over 20,000 visitors.
In September, AMFAR celebrates Angela Missoni at La Permanente for her commitment to Women Empowerment through her initiative linked to the Pink Pussy Hat. A Fiat 500 Missoni is also auctioned.
Also in September, Missoni creates an eco- sustainability for the Camera Moda and Eco-Age project ‘The Green Carpet Fashion Award’. The dress will be worn by Amber Valletta for the evening at the Teatro alla Scala.
In October, Missoni participates in the Cantù International Lace Biennial with a lace made starting from an iconic Missoni design.
Also in October in Los Angeles, Luca Missoni creates an installation for a retrospective exhibition on Missoni Sport from 1985 to 1990 at the Pop-Up store Lowkey Studio at the HVW8 Art and Design Gallery.
Missoni participates in the ‘Apritimoda’ project in which Milan opens the ateliers and archives of its fashion houses to visits to the public.
The celebrations for Angela Missoni’s 20 years as creative director continue in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas with special events from major American clients Neinman Marcus and Sak’s. Angela Missoni receives the FGI Award in Dallas.
In November Angela Missoni with Luisa Via Roma supports ‘The Circle’, an international network of women against poverty and injustice, with the charity sale of 51 dolls handmade by Swedish artist Erica Laurell that reproduce the looks of the Missoni Winter 2017 fashion show .
In December, Missoni participates in the exhibition ‘Revolution: Recorsa and Rebels 1966-1970’. Curated by Clara Tosi Pamphili and organized by Mondomostre / Skira, the exhibition previously presented at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is brought to Milan involving the Missonis as representatives of the revolutionary spirit of the period in Italy. 6 archive looks are exhibited in the Carnaby Street section where the story of Mary Quant and Ossie Clark is told and in the section dedicated to the film Blow up by Michelangelo Antonioni.
Also in December in Mantua Rosita and Luca Missoni are the protagonists of a meeting at Palazzo Te in the cycle of conferences ‘Dress. Stories of Fashion and Costume’ by the costume historian Michele Venturini.
In Miami a street is dedicated to Missoni: the ‘Missoni Baia Way’
2018
In February Missoni takes part in the exhibition ‘Italiana. L’Italia vista dalla moda 1971-2001’. Set up at Palazzo Reale in Milan and curated by Maria Luisa Frisa and Stefano Tonchi, the exhibition intends to celebrate, and narrate, Italian fashion in a seminal period, highlighting the progressive focus and affirmation of the Italian fashion system in the grandiose season of Made in Italy on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. In April, the new M Missoni line was launched, produced internally by the brand and no longer under license. The creative director will be Margherita Maccapani Missoni. In May, the book ‘The Missoni Family Cookbook’ is launched. Curated by Francesco Maccapani Missoni, it collects the recipes of the family’s good table. Anecdotes, images, a kaleidoscope of flavours, fragrances and colours. In June, the Missoni family and FSI (Fondo Strategico Italiano), on behalf of the FSI Mid-Market Growth Equity Fund, announce the signing of an agreement relating to the entry of FSI into the capital of Missoni S.p.A. The objective of the partnership is to enhance the extraordinary notoriety of the Missoni brand and the significant potential of the company, to make Missoni a modern and global player, with organization and dimensions suitable for competing at the top of the fashion and luxury sector. In November, the documentary film ‘Being Missoni. Memories from the Future’. Produced by Michele Bongiorno’s Good Day Films and Sky Arte and directed by Ruggero Gabbai, it tells the sixty-five-year history of the iconic brand through the memories of three Missoni generations passionately engaged in an extraordinary common project. It will then be included in the Sky Arte schedule and available on demand.
2019
In January, the Missoni family receives the ‘I due Galli’ award, a sign of civic merit from the Municipal Administration of Gallarate on the occasion of Recognition Day. Motivation: “The opening 65 years ago of the first laboratory in Gallarate at number 12 in Via Vespucci. From there Ottavio and Rosita set out to conquer the world of fashion without ever forgetting their “origins” from Gallarate, remaining tied to the city community and not lacking support in the cultural sphere”.
Also in January The University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli confers on Rosita Missoni the honoris causa master’s degree in “Design for innovation’ with a special ceremony at the monumental complex of Belvedere di San Leucio in Caserta, on the occasion of the inauguration.
An Adidas x Missoni collection of running shoes and clothing is launched in April. “Deftly combining Missoni’s unmistakable aesthetic with Adidas’ attention to technical sportswear, the Adidas x Missoni line offers a perfect marriage between elegance and sportiness technical clothing items with the historic slub motif of the house”.
June in Vienna Missoni renews its support for the Life Ball, a charity event for the fight against HIV/AIDS, with a special fashion show of the Summer 2019 collection during the Life+ Solidarity Gala, the charity dinner opening the 26th and last edition. After almost 20 years, the brand is once again one of the protagonists of the last chapter of this extraordinary initiative. Katie Holmes, actress and AmfAR ambassador, presents the ceremony in an evening gown from the Missoni Winter 2018 collection.
In September, the first M Missoni collection was presented in Milan with Margherita Maccapani Missoni as creative director. A tram decorated with M Missoni graphics from Piazza Castello 4 travels several times, with always different guests, a circular route of five stops, also personalized with M Missoni posters. In Piazza Castello, a souvenir kiosk sells special products from the M Missoni collection. In September, the series ‘Made in Italy’, produced by Taodue Film and The Family, is released on Amazon Prime video, which tells the story of the birth of Italian fashion in Milan in the 1970s in 8 episodes. Episode 3 is dedicated to Missoni. Ottavio is played by Enrico Lo Verso and Rosita by Claudia Pandolfi. Some scenes are filmed in the Missoni company and the characters wear Missoni garments from the archive.
In September Target officially presents the “20th Anniversary collection” with an event during NY fashion week at the Park Avenue Armory. A corner has been created for each designer where the collection and the story of the first collaboration are presented.
In September, the Missoni boutique opens in Singapore (The Shoppes Mall in Marina Bay Sands).
In October, the new Missoni boutique opens in New York at 676 Madison Avenue.
In November, the Missoni boutique opens in Miami (Bal Harbor Shops mall).
In November, the book The Great Italian Fashion is presented at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London with a talk between Rosita, Angela and Luca Missoni and the journalist Gianluca Longo.
The M Missoni boutiques in Miami and San Paolo (Brazil) open.
A capsule collection of clothing for dogs is launched in December in collaboration with Poldo Dog Couture.
Missoni completes the acquisition of 100% of the operating activities of T&J Vestor, thus consolidating the line Missoni Home.
The watercolors for Missoni by Antonio Lopez, considered one of the greatest contemporary fashion illustrators, are exhibited at the exhibition “Antonio Lopez, drawings and photographs” at the Sozzani Foundation, in collaboration with The Estate and Archive of Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos, New York, the Anna Piaggi Cultural Association and the Ottavio and Rosita Missoni Foundation.
2021
On 11 February we celebrate the centenary of the birth of Ottavio Missoni. In December, the bookshop edition of the MISSONI book is launched. La Grande Moda Italiana with a special introduction by Fulvio Scaparro dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Ottavio Missoni. In November Rosita and Angela receive the Woman Spain award as “Best International Brand”.
