In 1953, Ottavio Missoni, an athlete collector of titles and Rosita Jelmini, got married and opened a small knitwear workshop in the basement of their home in Gallarate. Their first client was the Biki boutique in Milan, then, in 1958, La Rinascente. The first to report them in the press was Anna Piaggi on Arianna (1965) who, in 1967, also dedicated their first cover to him. In 1966 there was the first show in collaboration with Emmanuelle Khanh; while in 1967 he made his debut at Palazzo Pitti, with a preview of the nude look. Subsequently, in 1969 they built the Sumirago plant, with an adjoining villa; always “home and shop”, but success is now international. Bloomingdale's opened a Missoni store in the New York office in 1970. Missoni is a leading brand of world style especially in the knitwear sector, which it has completely revolutionized in a creative and innovative sense, with a strong, unmistakable, vibrant sense of color. With the Missonis, knitwear becomes fashion and, at the same time, applied art.
