FIORUCCI History
The strength of any successful brand lies in its identity. Because of it, Fiorucci has been able to remain young through three decades, always setting the pace for the latest products and fashion trends, fulfilling young consumers desires and needs.
When the shops didn't know yet the concept of "total look" (and above all "life-style"), when the young people started to manifest a need of behavioural, social, and existential changes, the shop Fiorucci of San Babila in Milan becomes immediately their point of reference.
It was in fact the first multi-brand mini-department store where not only suits and accessories were sold, but also gadgets, food and drinks. And above all it offered a unique atmosphere, created by the music, the perfumes, the magic of the fun and the transgression. A multisensory experience. Soon other shops proliferated everywhere, in New York, London, Los Angeles, Paris, in Europe and in Italy.
Generous in the abundance of ideas, provocative and ironic in the communication, revolutionary in the presentation, the Fiorucci style has remained in the heart of the consumers for a long time: loved by stars and famous people in the field of art and show business, but always accessible to all the pockets!
Memorabilia
1967
May 31st – The first shop Fiorucci is born in Milan, in Galleria Passarella: a window on the world with the novelties from Carnaby Street, the hits from London and New York. With a brand-new concept, designed by the sculptress Amalia Del Ponte, the space is opened by Adriano Celentano, who arrives at the opening on a pink Cadillac. It’s a real event…
1970
The shop is the meeting point of young people that are against the conventions, the authorities and boredom. A new generation that meets around a potpourri of suggestions, emotions and international news that learns to identify it as "the Fiorucci style." The concept of life-style is born.
Fiorucci becomes a real brand and adopts as logo the two famous little angels; a Victorian image, graphically adapted by the architect Italo Lupi, that’s still today icon and symbol of its identity.
1974
The second Fiorucci store in Via Torino, Milan, is opened: planned by the Thomas Maldonado Studio and by Franco Marabelli, that will be art director for Fiorucci for many years. A great shop on three floors which has a revolutionary formula. With three fountains of water and spicy perfumes, it offers garments and home accessories, books and music. There is a space dedicated to the performances. For the first time a restaurant serves good hamburgers on Richard Ginori’s plates, as in the upper-class restaurants of New York. With "Tea at 5" the shop opens an "antique market" where vintage garments are sold.
1975
Fiorucci opens the first London shop in Kings Road.
Fioruccino, a colored and playful collection for children, is born.
1976
Fiorucci opens a store in New York on the 59th Road, next to Bloomingdale. Another cult place, where the greatest exponents of the NY artistic community will meet. Andy Warhol will use it to launch his magazine Interview. The interiors are designed by the architects: Ettore Sottsass, Andrea Branzi and Franco Marabelli.
1977
In the heart of Manhattan the Studio 54 opens: a disco-myth linked to disco music and a style phenomenon. The Fiorucci team in New York organizes the Great Opening of the place: it produces the costumes, drawn by Antonio Lopez (already famous artist and draftsman of the covers of Interview) for the dance company of Alvin Ailey. The sketches of the author will be published on Esquire. The International "jet set" is at the opening: Bianca Jagger, Margaux Hemingway, Andy Warhol and Grace Jones.
1978
Fiorucci is the first brand to sign a collection of sunglasses.
Alfa Romeo wants to renew the car Giulietta and asks Fiorucci to “dress” it. The brand is helped by Ettore Sottsass and Andrea Branzi: without altering the technical-structural characteristic, they intervene on the aesthetics with the motto “Everything is possible in a car”. The wheels blue and orange-peel!
1979
In America the fame of the brand consolidates with the opening of a new shop in Los Angeles, in the district of Beverly Hills. During the "Gran Galà" opening the crowd is so big that it requires the intervention of the police. Amongst the guests, always Andy Warhol. The soundtrack is played by the punk group The Screamers.
1981
"Fiorucci The Book" is published by A. Harlin Quist Book, curated by the American journalist Eve Babitz, after a full immersion in the Fiorucci world and the close meeting with many unusual personalities that make up the team.
The collection of T-shirts, blouses and sweatshirts illustrated with images of Walt Disney is launched. A success that brings Fiorucci in the gold book of the great American company.
1982
Du Pont launches Lycra and Fiorucci matches it to the denim. The first stretch jeans is born. A basic five pockets for a feminine body, adherent and seductive.
Terry Jones, already author of many graphics for the brand, establishes the magazine i-D and chooses the Fiorucci store in Milan for the Italian presentation.
1983
The movie "Flashdance" makes aerobics explode. Fiorucci launches the "gym fashion", proposing bodies, headbands and leggings.
The Fiorucci brand celebrates 15 years of activity with an evening-event at Studio 54 in New York. Guest star of exception, still unknown, Madonna, whose name appears in the third line of the invitation with a stylized Marilyn on the back. An enormous cake of two meters and a half is brought in triumphant amongst the crowd.
Fiorucci opens a shop in Paris with another mega party, again with Madonna, who’s becoming more and more famous. Oliviero Toscani creates for the newspaper "Fashion" a report, photographing the most eccentric looks, and launching the “carnet” fashion.
1984
In the subway and on the walls of New York and London the spontaneous phenomenon of the graffiti-mania explodes. Keith Haring, the author that has raised to "art" this form of extemporaneous creativeness, works one day and one night in the Milan shop and transforms it with his magic touch.
The greatest part of the job realized by Haring in that occasion in 1998 will be auctioned by the art gallery of Binoche in Paris.
The art gallery Marconi in Milan dedicates to Fiorucci, the first brand to dignify the "white" of the t-shirts with a graphic, communicative and commemorative language, the exhibition "T-show" with a series of t-shirt signed by contemporary artists.
Panini starts to produce the stickers with the Fiorucci graphics. The summa of a graphic history that was able to explore and anticipate the future of the image: playful (the comic strips), disrespectful (the quotations of Hollywood movies), seductive (the pin ups of Vargas), futuristic (the electronic circuits, the robots, the UFOs) and at the same time nostalgic (the love for the revival). Shocking with the fetish and the bondage style or moving with the angels and the hearts, the collection is sold in 25 million packages (105.000.000 pieces). The buyers' target is from 12 to 25 years of age.
1985
The brand Fiorucci is consecrated "king of jeans." It signs the Italian license with Wrangler, historical label of denim made in USA.
Almost at the same time Fiorucci opens to the men segment with a total look collection, called Classic Nouveau. Fiorucci invents the casualwear: the new label becomes the lacking ring amongst jeans and formal garments, with a certain nostalgia for the American sportswear of the 50s.
1986
Great party at the Superstudio in Milan, where a crowd of 7000 people arrives to assist to the presentation of the Fiorucci collections. As a gift, Fiorucci offers a little heart of cloth to the ladies. Opened, it turns into a brief.
1987
At the Plastic Discothèque in Milan a party in honour of Andy Warhol, in the city, for the opening of his exhibition on Leonardo at the Refettorie delle Stelline.
Fiorucci and the importance of the packaging as a value: labels and lining become a mean to adorn the suit.
As the shopping bags, characterized with a lot of imagination: in the volume “Shopping Bag”, published by Crown Publishers Inc. and written by Stephen C. Wagner and Michael Closet, the shopping bags of Fiorucci are distinguished thanks to their creativeness and they are amongst the few Made in Italy quoted in the book.
The book “Liberi Tutti" is published, written by Giannino Malossi with the introduction of Natalia Aspesiri. The history of a brand through three revolutionary decades.
Produced by Fiorucci, the line Junior Gaultier, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, is launched: 70 economic pieces, from the denim pant to the evening suit.
1990
TThe brand Fiorucci is purchased by the Japanese company Edwin International, company leader in the denim Made in Japan. Founded and driven by Shuji Tsunemi Edwin will widen the strategies of diversification of the Fiorucci products through many licenses, not only in Italy but also in Europe, Asia and America.
Starting from this moment, the trademarks Fiorucci, Fioruccino, Fiorucci Safety Jeans, Fiorucci Time and the "angels" (figurative mark) are owned by Edwin Co. Ltd. And Mr. Elio Fiorucci starts his artistic-creative collaboration with the company.
In the respect of the origins and identity of the brand, the style and the communication remain in Milan, headquarter of the European master-license.
The “T-Art” project, the white and simple shirt as creative base for evocative images, is born. Together with the institutional angels, historical consolidated bestseller, a whole series of pictures inspired by the dreams are printed on T-shirt. The T-art becomes the “gift” for Christmas and St. Valentine.
1995
A nostalgic journey with the exhibition "Fiorucci: garments of the heart." Through the radio and pages on the magazines, the Fiorucci Fans are invited to bring their inseparable Fiorucci garments, telling how they have become a cult. Photographed by the guys of the Istituto Europeo of Design in Milan, who prepared the setting in their Design Gallery, many "Fiorucci Girls" of all ages answer.
The brand Fiorucci shocks with the national campaign of the Fiorucci Safety Jeans collection. The photo, by Roger Corona, shows a woman bottom "dressed" only with a pair of handcuffs in pink plush. A new funny fetish accessory.
1999
Fiorucci draws the packaging of Baci Perugina for St. Valentine. The initiative is a great success.
With a mega poster 30 m high in St. Babila, Fiorucci introduces the "Lollies": denim pants in pink, blue and white, that become the must of the season.
Fiorucci launches its perfume: good fragrance and best packaging (a pair of fluorescent wings) and best advertising image with the message “Fiorucci, the only perfume "sniff and smile."
2000
Together with the launch of the Milan FreeStyle Event, Fiorucci is chosen as symbol of the creative freedom by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, that dedicates to the brand the exhibition "Fiorucci Free Sprit: the senses of the freedom", set at the Arengario in Milan. A tribute to the history of the brand as expression of lifestyle.
2001
During the course of the year Mr. Elio Fiorucci ends his artistic-creative collaboration with the company.
Fiorucci launches its second perfume: Fiorucci Loves You. An original packaging in shape of heart, pierced by the arrow of Cupid, with a carillon.
2002
In February 2002 the agreement with the company Eurofly is signed, for the personalization of the seats of the aeroplanes: a happy floral print in Hawaiian style.
2005
The book "Fiorucci Story", published by Mondadori Electa, traces the history of the brand through photographic and graphical images.
2006
Bright colours, amusing prints, easy garments, a young and fashionable product: the collection "Fiorucci for Radio Italia Musicwear", is presented through a happy advertising campaign with Daniele Battaglia, announcer of Radio Italia and personality of Radio Italia TV.
Fiorucci re-launches the " Buffalo", the unforgettable jeans for women that had become a cult.
2007-2008
"The Seventies, the long decade of the brief century." Curated by Gianni Ganova for the Triennale in Milan, the exhibition chooses the “Fioruccism” as symbol for the fashion of that period. The setting is prepared by Franco Marabelli with texts of Giancluca LoVetro: images and characters that characterized the history of the brand.
2009
The Fiorucci Home Collection is born with colourful, funny and coordinated accessories.
2010
The Fiorucci Design Office moves into the new headquarters of Viale Premuda in Milan: the 1000 sq.m include the space for the creativeness and a showroom for the products of the Fiorucci world.
The Fiorucci menswear is re-launched with a collection of casual garments.
Fiorucci collaborates with the group BasicNet for a collection of shoes Fiorucci by Superga and a capsule collection of K-Way rain jackets.
The collaboration with Hyundai, one of the most important automotive companies of the world, creates the FioruccI i10 and i20.
2011
A new era begins for Fiorucci, thanks to the collaboration with Ittierre S.p.A., which is in charge of the womenswear license. The capsule collection with Naomi Campbell increases the value of the denim line, which has made the brand famous all over the world.
Fiorucci signs a three-year license for the production and distribution of a sunglasses and eyeglasses collection for women and children. New agreements are signed also for women’s and men’s accessories, that contribute to improve the quality of the products and to bring part of the production processes back to Italy.
In July a new product is presented: it’s the result of the collaboration with Hip Hop, the famous gum watch with interchangeable wristband, the first co-branding operation for the Binda group.
With the idea of "diversification" of the products in 2011 the collaboration between Fiorucci and Ikea is born, for the creation of a Concept of Fiorucci Boutique.
2012
Fiorucci returns to bet on retailing and launches the first Pocket Store, a retail project in collaboration with IKEA, which has made available all of its know-how on home interior fittings, developing together with Fiorucci an original concept, cool and democratic. Mono-brand retail stores where visitors will find all the products that make up the world Fiorucci, from clothing to shoes, from perfumes to lingerie, swimwear, eyewear, business bags…. the project involves the creation of two different types of stores: a Pocket Store, which offers modular solutions for small spaces and a Concept Store with ideas of furniture designed for larger rooms, up to 200 square meters.
The first Pocket Fiorucci Store was inaugurated March 29th in Capri (NA), the second on March 31st in Porto Sant'Elpidio (FM). Various openings of Fiorucci corners in may will follow with one in Grosseto, in cooperation with Poli, and another in Pompei in cooperation with Grillo Sport.