Can the flap of a butterfly's wings in Milan cause a storm of trends around the world? Yes, if the designer in question is Nicola Brognano, the Calabria-born, Milan-based designer who was recently appointed as Blumarine’s Creative Director. Actually the analogy is not accidental. Founded in 1977 by Anna Molinari and her late husband Gianpaolo Tarabini, Blumarine is mostly known for its signature sweet touches like butterfly wings and dainty florals – as well as for BluVi sweaters, you might say – and Nicola Brognano wants to reference fashion in the early 2000s, seen through today’s lens. To be honest, the Y2K trend has been growing for a few years now, but Blumarine's Nicola Brognano can be credited with helping to accelerate its resurgence on the runway, thanks to some styling by Lotta Volkova.
Watch Nicola Brognano talk about his journey at Istituto Marangoni, recalling his fondest memories and favorite subjects, while also thinking about how to shape the future. He'll lead you through the streets of Milan – the city where he studied and where he’s now showing his collections – and Carpi – the town where Blumarine first saw the light of the day –. He’ll teach you about the brand’s heritage and how to survive on today’s Planet Fashion.
Clementina Bianchi