Missoni

The story of Missoni's now-legendary patterned knits of zigzags, waves, and stripes began in 1948 when founders Rosita and Ottavio (Tai) met at the Olympic games in London (he was a runner and designed the Italian team's uniforms, while she was there studying English). They opened a small knitwear workshop in Gallarate, Italy, after marrying in 1953. By 1965, legendary editor Anna Piaggi (then of Arianna magazine) took a liking to the designing couple and their bold, geometric patterns, and helped boost their credibility to international status. Their fame exploded in 1967, when Rosita instructed models to remove their bras under sheer blouses at a fashion show in Florence and walk nearly nude (they weren't invited back). In 1973, they won the Neiman Marcus Award, which is typically thought of as the Oscars of fashion. Today, Missoni is still very much a family affair: Rosita and Ottavio's daughter Angela took over designing in 1996, and sons Luca and Vittorio oversee the business, while Angela's aspiring-actres­s daughter, Margherita, is the brand's ambassador. Missoni has expanded as well. Instead of taking on collaborations like other labels, they developed over 25 sub-lines including M Missoni (a lower-priced line owned by the Valentino Fashion Group), Missoni Home, Missoni menswear, fragrances (first launched in 1980), and at one time, Missoni Sport (now discontinued). There are also plans for Hotel Missoni, a Rezidor Hotel Group project set to open in Kuwait in 2009, with others to follow in cities like Dubai, Paris, and Miami.