PARIS — As another fashion week week fills the French capital with runway shows and big blowout parties, Margherita Missoni has opted for a decidedly more intimate approach to retail by inviting guests to brunch.
For just two days, the designer is welcoming clients into her grandmother’s Paris apartment for an appointment-only trunk show showcasing the latest Maccapani collection, including a shark-themed capsule collaboration with Bianca Brandolini.
The private residence then doubles as a temporary showroom, where guests who have booked through Instagram or via the brand’s newsletter can browse and shop.
“We’ve been doing this concept for a few seasons now,” Missoni said, noting it was the fourth time they’ve hosted the midsummer affair.
ERIC TACCHINI / Courtesy of Maccapani
Missoni said couture week feels like the right moment for the Paris pop-up because it already brings the fashion crowd, while offering a calmer schedule than the intensity of the traditional ready-to-wear calendar.
Missoni’s at-home setting offers a much more intimate retail moment rather than a traditional pop-up activation.
The Italian designer’s hyper-personal strategy reflects a broader shift toward experiential retail, where clients are looking for more than racks of merchandise. They want conversation, personalization and a direct connection with a brand.
That’s also true of Maccapani’s first permanent boutique, which opened in Milan in March.
Beyond ready-to-wear, the store offers rotating vintage selections and curated antique objects all from “warehouses” of her family’s personal collections, as well as a personalization program so that customers can customize signature jacquard pieces with ribbons, patches and other bespoke details.
ERIC TACCHINI / Courtesy of Maccapani
“I love having a store,” Missoni said. She hopes to expand her direct-to-consumer retail footprint in the coming years. “I love the rhythm of it. It’s more attuned to how I want my life to be.”
She added that wholesale remains challenging for independent brands, making DTC a more important focus for her.
Looking ahead, she hopes to open additional locations, next in Venice and eventually Paris — but that’s a few years down the road, she said.
Missoni and Brandolini
ERIC TACCHINI / Courtesy of Maccapani
The opening day itself felt more like an open house than a retail launch. Guests were welcomed with a seasonal brunch from Paris-based private chef Léa of Casa Léa, who previously worked in fashion before launching her culinary business and now creates bespoke dining experiences for brands and private clients.
Plates of fresh fruit, baked goods and crisp salads offset the day’s heat. As for the collection, the offering centered on the three-year-old brand’s signature separates, particularly colorful coordinated sets made with repurposed yarns, lightweight jacquard tailoring, seamless swimwear-inspired pieces meant to be mixed and layered, as well as easy jersey dresses.
The capsule with Brandolini also revisits the brand’s bestselling “Moto Tee” — a motorcycle-inspired silhouette — this season featuring a shark motif inspired by the Italian model’s longtime affinity for the animal.
The shark-themed shirt from the Bianca Brandolini collaboration capsule.
ERIC TACCHINI
