In the fast-moving world of style, where trends come and go and creative directors are ousted and replaced with nearly as much frequency as Premier League football managers, there’s something reassuring about the enduring success of a company such as Missoni. This tiny knitwear workshop founded by Italian Olympic athlete Mr Ottavio “Tai” Missoni and his wife Rosita in 1953 may have grown into a global, multi-million dollar brand – but it has done so while remaining very much a family affair. This stability has endowed it with a remarkable consistency of vision; its signature zigzag patterns have become one of the most recognisable and consistent motifs in the industry.
Richard James herringbone wool overcoat and Missoni zig zag woven jersey shirt
Missoni striped cashmere and wool blend cardigan, Lanvin slim-fit cotton poplin shirt, Canali brushed cotton blend chinos, Church monk strap shoes
Missoni suede and crochet knit bomber jacket, John Smedley Belvoir wool roll-neck sweater, Canali brushed cotton blend chinos, Church monk strap shoes
Saint Laurent black slim-fit wool tuxedo, Lanvin slim-fit cotton poplin shirt, Turnbull & Asser silk-tie and Missoni zig zag woven scarf
“Missoni is known as a family business. We’re all involved, even if only in ambassadorial roles,” says the 29-year-old, who works as a sales director for the US market. (By “we” he refers to himself, his two brothers and six cousins.) “We advise our elders, too. We’d never tell them what to do, you understand – but they appreciate having us around because we have an intuitive understanding of the market.” Fluent and perceptive, the third-generation Missoni man clearly has a keen commercial brain – and appears especially wise to the challenges and opportunities presented by the rise of online shopping. “Men, especially younger guys, love to buy online,” he says. He appreciates the natural advantage that Missoni has in this arena, too. The patterns and the colours that we’re known for – they really stand out when you see them on a screen,” he explains. “We’re lucky. It’s so much easier to get excited about a colourful Missoni sweater than it is about a black suit.” For all his business acumen, though, it’s on his family that Mr Missoni Jr speaks most freely and passionately. “My grandfather always said that it was vital to work in the kind of place where people go for the weekend,” he says at one point, gesturing to the sleepy, leafy Lombardy countryside around his family home in Sumirago, just north of Milan. “That way, the calm in the air, the colours in the trees as the seasons change… it’s all reflected in the clothes.” It’s clear from his conversation – peppered with anecdotes and recollections that begin, “My grandfather used to say…” or “When I was a boy, my father…” – that Missoni, to him, is nothing without its heritage.
Missoni striped wool blend knitted polo shirt and Haider Ackermann light weight roll-neck sweater
Missoni striped wool blend sweater, Missoni knitted wool sweat pants, Missoni patterned cotton blend socks and John Lobb William suede monk strap shoes
Boglioli unstructured herringbone cotton blazer, Missoni striped cotton jersey t-shirt, Saint Laurent slim fit 17 cm hem denim jeans, Missoni wool scarf
Family-owned businesses are no strange thing in Italy, where the tradition is deeply ingrained. Versace, Ferragamo and Zegna can all attest to this, while household names such as Lavazza and Alessi suggest that this is not something confined to the clothing industry. But what’s unique about Missoni is that it’s genuinely difficult to tell where the family ends and the brand begins; it’s almost as if a few strands of Missoni DNA somehow wound up in the wool, and now find themselves woven in multicoloured zigzags, stripes and geometric waves into the very fabric of the clothes.
Missoni knitted wool blend shawl collar cardigan, Lanvin slim-fit cotton poplin shirt, Missoni slim fit zig zag woven wool blend trousers, Anderson black pebble grey leather belt
Photography by VanMossevelde+N
Styling by Mr Andrea Tenerani
Words by Mr Chris Elvidge, Senior Features Writer, MR PORTER
