Gio Moretti is to Milan what Colette represents for Paris: Authentic Avant Garde Shopping. Always. Before arriving in Via della Spiga in 1970 and taking its name from the founder Giovina, Gio Moretti had contributed to helping this famous street earn its label as the symbolic street of highly sought-after international fashion and “shopping for pleasure”.
Today, a number of famous designer labels, including Krizia (since 1974), Giorgio Armani Accessories (since 1982), Dolce & Gabbana (since 1994) and 74 other brands occupy each centimetre of the street that, as Roberto Cavalli claims, “Is the street of silent and posh elegance, a little treasure chest in the heart of the city.” “The avant gardes” wrote Romain Gary, “are people who do not exactly know where they want to go, but are the first ones to arrive there.” We do not know if this is true, but it is certain that Giovina and her daughters, Laura and Monica Moretti, have always been a step ahead of everyone else. Since 1970. The ability to scout out what is destined to become “very cool and upscale” is in the trio’s DNA. During the 1970s, Gio Moretti was the first to bring the French designers Claude Montana, Azedine Alaja, Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier and Ungaro to Milan, followed by the Americans Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, to name just two, in the 1990s; today, French designers such as Balmain and Lanvin are once again experiencing a second, intoxicating youth. And it was here that Gianni Versace and Roberto Cavalli began their journeys that would lead them to worldwide fame. Gio Moretti is both a starting point and a finishing point for any designer that has something (which must be truly innovative) to say and ca va sans dire –anyone who wants to experience not just mere shopping, but rather “Real Avant Garde Shopping”. The three marble and glass floors of the multi-brand space contain some of the most representative and often one-of-a-kind clothing items, bags and accessories from famous labels such as Chloè, Lanvin, Balmain, Diane Van Funstenberg, Versace, Alberta Ferretti, Anna Molinari, Donna Karan and Malo, Loewe as well as trendier brand names like Phillip Lim and Giambattista Valli. “New, sophisticated and trendy” are how Monica and Laura Moretti describe the latter. And there is also a “shop-in-shop” featuring the entire collection of creations by the Florentine designer, Ermanno Scervino, someone the Morettis genuinely believe in. Creations by Christian Lobutin, Jimmy Choo and Gianvito Rossi are available for avant garde feet (and credit cards). The “Jeans Room” is also upscale (How could it be otherwise?) and offers Justin Timberlake’s urban-glam-Hollywood-inspired William Rast collection, 7 For All Mankind, Rock & Republic and Star Chic Easy Couture, not to mention the limited edition series of ultra chic track suits from Simona Ventura. The icing on the cake is a mini-bookstore, featuring lifestyle offerings, CDs, flowers and home accessories, which are also cool, of course. Gio Moretti? Mais c'est chic!
store:. GIO MORETTI via della Spiga, 4 20121 Milano Tel:: +39 02 7600 318
