• The Italian Summer: Ripa & Ripa

    This summer season a new, unique brand took its place on the infamous shelves of La Rinascente: The male swimwear brand Ripa & Ripa. Two friends Anna and Oliviero who graduated from Bocconi 3 years ago created the brand. They did not create it far away, “You can say that we discussed the idea by these benches by Leoni,” says Anna. Where did the idea to create an authentic male swim shorts come from? If you ever went shopping for stylish male swim shorts you know the struggle to find a decent one. Anna and Oliviero thought so and decided to create their own brand of swim shorts. Ripa &…

  • Fashion is Garbage

    When the final model walked down the Moschino runway in Milan Fashion Week 2017 the only thing that was left on the audience’s faces was a shocked expression with jaws dropped to the floor. Brand’s creative director Jeremy Scott created a provoking collection, as always, that was made up of extraordinary materials such as cardboard, Kleenex boxes, packing tape, toilet paper and garbage bags. This unconventional use of materials was not only to draw media’s attention; Scott had a message. The collection received many negative backlashes as anyone can imagine. Many critics were not happy with Scott playing with fashion; many said the collection was “a joke”. The highlights of…

  • Adidas’ Revival : How The Three Stripes’ Brand Is Fighting Back.

    Founded in 1924 by two German brothers, Adidas is the original sportswear brand, originally making shoes for soccer, track-and-field and tennis. From then on, the brand grew exponentially, expanding beyond footwear to become a leading player in both the sportswear and streetwear markets. Becoming one of the most successful corporation in the world, Adidas had to deal with its increasing spectrum of products and countries, which, as one may have guessed, required a few adjustments from the company. Adidas has been much heard of over the past few days, following the announce of their positive financial results over the third trimester of 2016.

  • American Apparel’s Farewell ?

    American Apparel, the Los Angeles-based clothing manufacturer, figment of Dov Charney’s imagination and entrepreneurial nature, running since 1989, is now indisputably one of the largest apparel manufacturer in North America. At least virtually… A growing rumor, supported among others by Bloomberg, has it that the double A brand would be preparing its second bankruptcy filling within the next few weeks, making it the second one in less than two years. But one shall fully comprehend what American Apparel has been through also by considering the founder’s attitude, Mr.Charney, whose role in the brand’s downturn is not to be ignored. Let’s have a quick remainder of what happened up to now.…

  • A chat over dinner with Alberto Baldan, CEO of La Rinascente

    You may think that I am exaggerating, and to some extent it is true. I did not dine privately with Mr Baldan, but this is how the evening felt like to me. When I saw the event promoting a tasty aperitivo with the CEO of the most famous department store in Italy, I thought of one of those networking events where the guest awkwardly speaks for 5 minutes and then has to rush away. But I couldn’t be more wrong: organised by Hub Giovani, a group of inspired young students and professionals who get together to discuss about work, culture, innovation and much more, the aperitivo with Baldan was so enjoyable…

  • Il Nuovo Gucci: in the Backstage of the Italian Empire’s Rebirth.

    We’re in December 2014, and the mutli-brand luxury group Kering announces the departure of Patrizio di Marco and Frida Giannini, respectively Gucci’s CEO and artistic director. This wave of departures from Gucci comes as no surprise, and marks the beginning of a fresh start for the Florentine brand. Set up in 1921 by Guccio Gucci and acquired in 1999 by the ancestor of Kering, PPR, the double G brand was, at the time, going through a rough patch. 2013 has proved to be a downturn in the brand’s sales, a situation that worsened in 2014, with lower sales volume of 1.8% at 3,49 billion euros. Considering that Gucci is the…

  • Good American, Clashing Ideals?

    It’s here! Yesterday Khloé Kardashian launched her new line of jeans “Good American” and the whole Internet is buzzing about it. Apart from the visually appealing styles, the line is being praised for it’s inclusive image. With sizes ranging from 0-24, made with stretchy fabric to showcase natural curves, the brand claims that its mission is to have a positive impact on the community. “Pledging to sustain the manufacturing of jeans in the United States and supporting charities that empower girls to realize their true potential,” reads the website. Co-founder, Emma Grede stated, “We believe everybody deserves to be shown off. Fashion should be made to fit women, not the…

  • Chiaja: a New Luxury Brand Rising

    With a few weeks of delay, Milan is finally blossoming, trees are green again and summer seems to be finally coming. The time to make a choice about the look to wear on the beach this year is approaching, and with it the birth (and fast death) of many aspiring and unstructured swimwear fashion brands. But one seems to be different from the others, and has its roots in places very close to where we all study every day.The startup I want to tell you about today is Chiaja, born from three Bocconi students, Alessando, Umberto and Gabriele, with the dream to re-invent the way men’s swim shorts are worn…

  • Being a Fashion Intern : A look behind the Instagram Feed

    Images Courtesy of: Megan Hess I just finished my last day as a fashion intern and boy has it been an eye opening experience! I’m sure many of you reading this right now have either thought about applying for an internship, are currently an intern or look at fashion interns’ Instagram feed wide-eyed wondering “How can I get that job?!”… Well I am here to tell you that it’s not easy, but SO worth the work in the end. I was lucky enough to do an internship in Milan and learn from some experienced people in the field who were wiling to take the time to teach me and include…

  • Fitness in Fashion

    As the warm weather draws closer (well it snowed the other day here in Canada so maybe I still have to wait a while…) we all start to think about the famous bikini that we will have to dig out of our drawers soon. When I hear the word bikini I get all nervous because I know that I am SO not ready to look at myself in the mirror in one. Don’t get me wrong – I love my body and would totally hit up a beautiful beach in southern Puglia tomorrow if I had the chance, I just know that I could feel so much better if I…