You can spot a Missoni from miles away. Well, an Italian woman can do that at least. But what is ‘a Missoni’? If you don’t know and you would like to discover more about the fashion firm founded in 1953 by Ottavio Missoni and his wife Rosita, you’d better visit Missoni Art Colour at Fashion and Textile Museum in London.
Sonia Delaunay, Untitled, 1936, 64×46 cm, gouache on paper
The exhibition will open on 6 May 2016 and is organised by the MA*Ga Art Museum in Gallarate (Italy), in partnership with Woolmark.
Today everybody talks about ‘Made in Italy‘ which seems to be a key-factor to relaunch Italy’s economy. Decades ago, Ottavio Missoni was a pioneer of this concept.
Born in the Italian community of Dubrovnik, Croatia, during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Ottavio, ‘Tai‘, met his future wife Rosita in 1948 during the Olympic Games in London, where he qualified for the final of the 400m-hurdle race. After giving up his sport career, Ottavio and Rosita set up a knitwear business near Varese, North Italy, and were soon at the cutting edge of Italian fashion.
Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, 1984. Photograph by Giuseppe Pino
They inaugurated and affirmed an unmistakable way of dressing and living. ‘A Missoni’ is a garment with a colorful ‘put-together’ of zigzag motifs, or stripes, waves and slub yarns in a patchwork of geometric and floral jacquard.
Missoni Art Colour showcases over 60 years of fashion, alongside paintings by leading 20th century European artists, and celebrates a family firm that has become an international success that changed the identity of knitwear. Modernist masterpieces, including the work of Sonia Delaunay, Lucio Fontana and Gino Severini, influenced Missoni in the development of their fashion industry.
Celia Joicey, Director of the Fashion and Textile Museum, says: ‘This is the first major exhibition to explore the iconic Missoni fashion house. The mix between fashion and art is always exciting, and this show highlights the important dialogue between post-war Italian artists, designers and industry’.
A great opportunity to rediscovery one of the best representatives of Italian fashion and design excellence around the world.
The Forms of Fashion installation of Missoni garments dating from 1953 to 2014 at MISSONI, L’ARTE, IL COLORE, 2015
Missoni Art Colour, Fashion and Textile Museum, (6 May-4 September 2016) www.ftmlondon.org
