The luxe layers of Missoni

Our philosophy since we went into business has been that a piece of clothing should be like a work of art. It should not be bought for a special occasion or because it’s in fashion, but because a woman likes it … and feels she could wear it forever,” fashion matriarch Rosita Missoni told the New York Post in 1978 about the iconic luxury Italian label she founded with her husband, Ottavio, nearly 60 years ago.

Melissa Liebling-Goldberg, women’s editorial director of flash sale website Gilt Groupe, agrees, telling the Wall Street Journal, “The chevron motif is a classic and always performs well because of its generation-less appeal and ability to look great.”

Indeed, this philosophy of wearing and treasuring beautiful garments forever is practiced in her own family — Rosita’s own granddaughter, Margherita Missoni-Amos, despite having full access to the house of Missoni, has been known to scour eBay for rare, vintage Missoni from the ’70s and incorporating her finds into her wardrobe. “What is so nice about Missoni pieces is that you can be wearing a very basic look and turn it into a street-style sensation with the addition of a cardigan, jacket or scarf,” Margherita told fashion website Whowhatwear.com.

Though it has built its name on its signature bohemian aesthetic, the appeal of Missoni has proven to be timeless and ageless. Considered to be one of the most important luxury labels in Italy today, the Missoni story began even before Rosita and Ottavio married. Growing up Rosita’s family owned a factory that produced dyed and embroidered fabrics, along with bedspreads and loungewear. “For a girl who loves getting dressed up, to have color and prints all around was heaven,” Rosita later told Vogue. “It was my playground. I was allowed to dig in the wastebaskets and go home with bits and pieces. They made me wonder and dream.”

Missoni mavens: Margherita Missoni and Rachel Zoe in Missoni

As it happened, Ottavio owned a small knitwear workshop that, having been an Olympian himself, produced wool tracksuits for the Italian Olympic team in 1948. With the two having grown up with some experience in the retail industry, this perfectly matched couple would later go on to pioneer the mismatched and clashing-print aesthetic of Missoni.

The first Missoni-labeled garments appeared in 1958, which was, coincidentally, the year Rosita and Ottavio’s youngest daughter and future Missoni creative director, Angela, was born. In the beginning, Rosita handled the design department, while Ottavio handled the business side. In 1962, Rosita invented the fiammata (“flames” in Italian) technique, which used the classic Raschel knitting machine, in order to produce the signature zigzag motif that would become synonymous with the brand. In no time, the brand caught the eye of influential editor and fashion eccentric Anna Piaggi, who would become Missoni’s earliest patron and champion, followed by legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland in 1969.

In as little as a decade after the creation of that zigzag pattern, The New York Times hailed Missoni as “the new status symbol of Italian design” and Women’s Wear Daily declared them to be the best knitwear designers in the world. A year later, they took home the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, which is considered to be the Academy Award of the fashion industry.

Today, Rosita has long retired from the fashion industry, focusing instead on the brand’s Missoni Home line, which brought her back to her family roots of producing bedspreads and loungewear, but this time emblazoned with Missoni’s colorful prints. Her son, Luca is the creative director of the House of Missoni, while her other son Vittorio is the marketing director. (There is an ongoing search for Vittorio and his wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, after their plane disappeared off the coast of Venezuela last Jan. 4 while after a holiday vacation in Los Roques resort.) Her youngest daughter, Angela, has managed to revamp the womenswear and menswear of Missoni, while remaining true to the identity of the brand. Meanwhile, Rosita’s granddaughter Margherita heads up the accessories division and is responsible for spearheading the brand’s collaborations with Converse and Havaianas. The brand currently counts celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore, Nicole Richie, Katie Holmes and Kim Kardashian among their long list of loyal clientele. 

In the Philippines, the latest collections by Missoni can be found exclusively at the Adora Department Store in Greenbelt 5. Unlike other luxury labels that make their way to our shores, however, Missoni’s signature use of light, knitted rayon-viscose blends, along with silk, cotton and wool are still comfortable to wear in our tropical weather, yet can easily be layered for travels to colder climates. 

“There are no seasons, just layers you put on and take off,” Rosita explained to Vogue in 1972. And even though the Missonis live all the way in Sumirago, Italy, by adding a touch of Missoni to your wardrobe, you practically become part of the family.

* * *

Missoni is available only at Adora, 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati; tel. no. 217-4029.