Gattinoni
Gattinoni is an Italian fashion house, born from the atelier of Fernanda Gattinoni, founded in Rome in 1944.
A personal atelier
Fernanda Gattinoni (1906 – 2002) is an Italian fashion designer, born in Cocquio Trevisago. Since she was young, she worked at maison Molyneux, in its headquarters in London, where she learnt the style of formal fashion, and in Paris, where, instead, she learnt the cult of customers. Called by Ventura tailor shop in Milan, she came back to Italy; later, nevertheless, she moved to Rome.
After Second World War, when everything had to be built again, in 1944 Gattinoni opened her atelier in Rome, in via Marche, with part of Ventura’s Rome staff and what remained from Milan archive; thanks to her old customers, she managed to create a new image, firmly tied to traditional roots.
An exceptional public
Then she moved to viale Toscana 1, adjacent to American Embassy: so she had, as usual customer, Claire Both Luce; from the near Hotel Excelsior came important celebrities, among which Evita Peron.
When Rome lived her cinematographic splendor and attracted Hollywood stars, they ware fascinated by Italian fashion. So, in addition to local customers such as Anna Magnani and Silvana Pampanini, Fernanda Gattinoni also worked for celebrities such as Ingrid Bergaman and Audrey Hepburn, who made her realize the stage costumes designed by Maria de Matteis for War and Peace movie and some creations to wear during her Capri holidays.
Her son Raniero
Fernanda’s son, Raniero Gattinoni (1953 – 1993), despite his interests were more literary than commercial, helped his mother in the management of the fashion house and called, as coordinator, his schoolmate Stefano Dominella: they successfully planned a renovation of the griffe, bringing vanguard ideas and methods, reinventing and proposing again high fashion of the maison during the ’80s. During that years Fernanda decided to retire herself, but she kept on her relation with the customers.
In 1993, when Raniero died, Dominella became President of Gattinoni and Venezuelan Guillermo Mariotto, who already designed for Raniero, became Creative Director and, helped by the founder, kept on looking for the mix between handcrafting ability and research for new technologies which always made the company successful.
In 1996 a new ready-to-wear collection was added to traditional ones (Gattinoni Boutique, Prêt d’Imagine, Tempo, Gattinoni Basic); furthermore, the following year the fashion houses increased its offering, thanks to the debate of the first Gattinoni fragrance and the first beauty products’ collection.
The 2000s
The new millennium opened in the best way for the fashion house: in 2001, indeed, Fernanda Gattinoni was awarded by mayor Enrico Gasbarra with La Lupa, a prestigious prize given by Rome city. Furthermore, the following year, she was asked to design new Italian Army uniforms: it was the first time that a similar task was entrusted to an high fashion atelier. The aim was to renovate the image of the army, which was still tied to safari jacket and kaki color, so Gattinoni used the colors employed before Second World War, such as grey and green, in use for 40 years since 1908.
The death of Fernanda Gattinoni and the turn of the brand
26th November 2002 was an important turn for the brand, which lost the leadership of her founder.
The following year, in February, Mariotto, who still was Creative Director, created the Gattinoni Softwear collection, including knitwear for sizes over 42: his choice to create clothes also for shapely women came him from the inspiration taken by Anita Ekberg in Dolce Vita, who was a strange customer for a fashion which privileged thin women. The new line was licensed to Koas Boss company. In 2003 Gattinoni also debuted in underwear, with the Fragile collection, characterized by the innovative use of latex, following what market demanded.
Current situation
Since 2009 Gattinoni’s production has been increased: Guillermo Mariotto, indeed, introduced many ready-to-wear collections, while a three-years agreement was signed with Co&Co Homeward to produce and distribute home textiles, inaugurating so the new Gattinoni Domus line.
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Contacts
Via Santa Maria della Spina 25, 06081, Assisi (PG), Italy
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