Margherita Maccapani Missoni Readies Her First Retail Launch With Browns
LONDON — It’s always a family affair for Margherita Maccapani Missoni, who launched her new womenswear label earlier this year and is now readying for its exclusive retail debut at Browns.
“Browns has always been a fixture in my life. Mrs. Joan Burstein is a close friend of my grandmother [Rosita Missoni], and I remember her since my childhood. I remember once I was shopping at Browns with my mom as a teenager, when I had arrived in London without shoes for an important Estée Lauder event that I was hosting and I was able to find them through Browns’ personal shopping service in a very smooth and fast way,” the designer said in an interview about her early memories of the luxury fashion boutique.
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“I also remember stories of Browns being the first Missoni client outside of Italy and how the clients were literally flowing in to open the paper boxes when the Missoni merchandise arrived. So I would love for that to be the case for Maccapani too,” she added.
The contemporary label is far from Missoni’s signature zigzag motifs and eye-catching colors, but there’s still an underlying flamboyancy remixed with traditional must-have pieces. After all, Maccapani Missoni wants to provide a day-to-night wardrobe.
She said launching with Browns was always at the top of her wishlist for a retail partner even before presenting them with the collection, which they only saw in sketches.
Maccapani Missoni has held different positions at her family company. In 2018 she was named creative director of the M Missoni line and previously, she launched an independent children’s line, which is now closed, as well as working on special projects with Splendid for sportswear; Yoox for children’s sleepwear; Away for luggage; Pottery Barn Kids for home; luxury handbag-maker Ximena Kavalekas, and apparel brand Mott50 on a sun-protective swimwear collection for women and children.
“This is the first time I have designed a collection out of my own vision. Prior to this, I’ve only worked adapting my taste to other brands, including Missoni, but not exclusively, whether it was Max and Co. or whether there were other collaborations I did in the past,” she said.
“I always adapt my vision to an existing brand, which I love, but it’s very different than putting out there my own vision, which is the case for this collection,” she added.
In the early stages of her brand, Maccapani Missoni said she’s not citing any category expansions just yet as she’s focusing on “a specific offering at the beginning from an investment standpoint, but also from a message standpoint.” However, she didn’t rule anything out for the future.
“Maccapani is a world and in the far future, why not,” she said.
In setting up her new business, she said the best lesson she’s learned to date is that “I’m actually learning. It is very different to work for an established, structured company versus working for a start-up. Me and my team all come from more structured situations, so we’re learning as we move along the rules of the start-up world. It is very, very interesting and I already feel that I’ve come a long way since starting a year ago.”
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