Sunnei 2014
Sunnei brand founded in 2014 by Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, Sunnei presents itself as the storytelling of a generation of Milanese artists.
Sunnei: brand strorytelling of a generation
Sunnie was founded in 2014 by Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, two young people united by their passion for photography and their studies focused on digital strategy and merchandising. During a trip to New York, after various experiences in the fashion industry, they came up with the idea of creating a brand that would tell the story of the young people of Milan, that community made up of DJs, artists and art directors linked by the same lifestyle.
This is how Sunnei was born, a brand initially dedicated to menswear but which over time has expanded its offerings to the female universe. Sunnei is not a project aiming at trends, but wants to be the seasonless storytelling of a generation that had not been told until 2014.
The 1968 Once In My Life album song “Sunny” by Stevie Wonder served as the inspiration for the brand’s name. This time frame was also the source of the duo’s initial artistic inspirations. As Rizzo said, their debut collection “revisited the Italian sartorial tradition of the Seventies in a contemporary key.” This meant that rather than withdrawing into their own mythical world, the pair kept a close watch on what was going on outside of it and focused on classic menswear wardrobe pieces like jumpsuits, blazers, and shirts. Rizzo stated, “We follow our interests and conduct fieldwork on the street.”
Oversized volumes, irony, graphic style and strong colours characterise the proposals of the brand, which presents itself as a multidisciplinary reality designed for those who live for art, whether it be music, design or painting. The collections, presented at Milan Fashion Week since 2016, do not have a concept, but are proposed as a continuous evolution from season to season. A creativity that is not caged in the concept of trends.
In 2020, the brand is bought by the Vanguards investment fund, which owns other brands including Nanushka and Aeron. The end of the deal is the beginning of a new business strategy.
Palazzina Sunnei
In 2020, Palazzina Sunnei, the brand’s new Milanese headquarters, was created. Inside a former recording studio, minimal white dominates the building’s three floors. A multi-functional space that houses planning, communication and numerous collectable works of art and design. A self-sufficient ecosystem composed of break corners, meeting rooms, garden and kitchen, spaces that reflect the brand’s artistic vision.
SUNNEI OBJECTS is a collection of pieces of the most diverse nature through which the brand’s aesthetic vision is enhanced by the excellence of Made-In-Italy craftsmanship.
Born out of an interest in accompanying the brand’s community throughout their day, and beyond the ritual of clothing, SUNNEI Objects explores and interprets everyday objects by exploring how they can become SUNNEI pieces.
The collection includes a selection in Murano glass (including the iconic Pleasure Objects), the BBPR candle (whose shape recalls one of Milan’s most famous landmarks, the Velasca Tower), vinyl records (with soundtracks from SUNNEI shows and unreleased music) and more.
Radio Sunnei
During the spring of 2021, Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo’s brand announced the birth of Radio Sunnei. A platform that hosts music and visual elements related to the brand’s aesthetics, a streaming of content broadcast 24 hours a day.
Conclusion: Sunnie is a Milanese brand, founded in 2014 by Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo.
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