The Missoni brand is the story of a small family business that has grown into a global empire. The company was founded in 1953 by a married couple, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, who opened a small knitting workshop in Gallarate, Italy. They released the first collection of clothes called Milano-Sympathy in 1958 at La Rinascente department store.
The collection was a success and the young brand was noticed by the editor of the fashion magazine “Arianna” Anna Piaggi. She was the first to show a serious interest in the creativity of the Missoni family and subsequently helped to promote the brand, covering each new collection in the magazine. In 1966, the Missoni brand was officially registered. In the early stages of the company’s existence, production was limited to smooth fabrics with multi-colored stripes of various colors and widths, but soon zigzag patterns appeared, which eventually became a characteristic feature of the Missoni style.