By paola
Mariuccia Mandelli, known by the name Krizia, was born in Bergamo in 1925 and from a young age, she felt a strong calling for fashion. Together with a friend, she set up a small workshop where she created her first collections.
Young but enterprising, she filled her travel bags with the samples she had created and determinedly visited boutiques across Italy in an attempt to sell her designs.
It didn’t take long for her taste to be recognized and acclaimed. “Crazy Krizia”, as she was later nicknamed, firmly established herself in the fashion world with her participation in the Samia show in Turin in 1957, where her versatile fits, mixed with eccentric details, attracted both Italian and foreign buyers.
The Krizia Style
Just like her clothes, Mariuccia was not only extremely creative but also a businesswoman with her feet on the ground, knowing how to rely on the right collaborators. Walter Albini and Karl Lagerfeld ring any bells? They were her partners before they took the separate paths we know today.
The practicality of shapes is her hallmark, and it remains her distinctive feature in the following decades. What fascinates her most is knitwear, and she never tires of experimenting with its infinite possibilities of craftsmanship.
The artisanal dimension is always accompanied by industrial innovation. Krizia is an tireless researcher of new materials and never-before-seen techniques. Her garments often reveal unexpected combinations of textures and volumes.
In the second half of the 1960s, she began introducing the animal world into her collections: little sheep, cats, bears, foxes… and then wild beasts, stylized in the style of the 1920s. An imagery that remains indissolubly linked to the name Krizia.
Krizia deserves credit for establishing the city of Milano as the temple of Italian fashion. In the early 1970s, along with Albini and Missoni, she made the bold decision to leave Florence to present her collection in Milan, which then became the stage for the so-called fashion weeks.
Krizia’s style is that of a woman free to express her many facets, even when contradictory. The Krizia woman is not afraid to pair cashmere with leather, leather with chiffon, chiffon with knitwear. The shapes of her garments are easy to wear but always feature an ironic and provocative touch.
The Krizia world is made up of a subtle play of opposites that manage to coexist, reflecting a real and human feminine essence.
In our catalog, you can find some iconic Krizia pieces, perfect for an eccentric yet refined look. Perfect for your holidays!
From left to right: Silk dress, Embroidered dress, Cashmere sweater, Sweater with face, Beaded top, Sweater with tiger, Camel leather bag, Plaid velvet clutch.
