Viganò is
a piece of Milanese history with different souls. We are a historic reality with two different shops that we like to call Bottega and Boutique.
In Bottega we sell retail and wholesale materials for high fashion embroidery, made now and from archives, vintage pieces of costume jewelery and components, costume jewelery made by us and by third parties, hair accessories. In the second shop, the Boutique, we sell a selection of handcrafted, quality jewellery, costume jewelery of different types and prices. We also sell accessories such as hats, umbrellas, gloves, bags, scarves and fans.
And now that we have introduced ourselves, we tell you our long story which is also a family story.
the story begins in 1919
We are in the years of the Belle Époque, of ladies with feathered dresses rich in rhinestones and sequins. In the world of fashion, the French dictated the law and there was no elegant and refined lady who did not want a dress made in Paris. And it is precisely in the capital that Italian embroiderers and tailors went to the workshops of the great masters to learn the art. Meanwhile, in Desio, near Milan, Carlo Viganò he was employed at the post office. Work was too tight for him, he felt the need to do something else, to learn more. He painted and drew for pleasure and many of his works still hang in our family homes. Driven by an increasingly strong desire to change his life, he leaves Desio heading to Paris. There he came into contact with the Fried Frères, retailers of Haute Couture embroidery materials since 1886. This meeting represented a turning point in his life. He studies their activity and realizes that there is nothing like it in Milan. He then decides to take over a haberdashery to be dedicated entirely to the world of haute couture and embroidery.
At first he found a shop in via Sant'Antonio but moved shortly thereafter in via Paolo da Cannobio 39, a stone's throw from Piazza Duomo where he purchased the entire building to live in and to undertake his new business. The neighborhood, once called Bottonuto, suffered much damage over the course of the century. Little remains of the original historic center today. Our building has been preserved and is still one of the oldest in the area, although unfortunately none of the family lives there anymore. From the early years the Carlo Viganò company (later to become Viganò Alta Moda) began to do well and ties began to be forged with the great Italian tailors and with the Teatro alla Scala. The relationship with the theater has always been very important for the company, both for the ladies who frequented it who needed appropriate clothes, and for the stage costumes, which were once authentically precious. In those years, Viganò represented an absolute news in the world of commerce retail and wholesale. The name circulates among embroidery and tailoring ateliers throughout Italy.
1930s and war years
With the crisis of 1929, many businesses closed and embroidery lost ground. Carlo decides to invest in costume jewelery and jewelry. We need a location alongside the headquarters and more suited to the new products.
As, in 1933, Viganò opened in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II quickly becoming a point of reference for Milanese and Italian taste. Ten years later, on the night between 12 and 13 August 1943, Milan was bombed and the Gallery partly destroyed. The businesses within it are forced to close. The shop in via Paolo da Cannobio suffers damage to the warehouse due to a fire but the activity never ceases. The Viganò family takes refuge in Brunate, on Lake Como and Carlo goes back and forth to continue the work as much as possible. Viganò Alta Moda passes into the hands of Gianni, cornerstone and soul of the company and our family.
50s, 60s, 70s
In the years of the economic boom, Milan rose again stronger than ever. There is a desire for modernity, renewal. Consumerism is starting to make its way and commerce is in excellent health. Little girls queue outside the shop after school to create beaded bracelets and necklaces. Viganò is in fashion. The staff is at its best. The shipping and wholesale department for embroidery materials is at its peak. The shop in the Gallery is a point of reference for Milanese ladies and increasingly attracts an audience of tourists. High quality costume jewellery, corals, cameos and Murano glass objects, embroidered shawls and fans are sold.
80s
In 1985 a new passing of the baton took place. Gianni hands over command to his son Giancarlo. In the first few years, the already consolidated trend continued, but in the 2000s it became necessary to adapt to customer expectations and fashion. Thanks to his intuition and foresight, he manages to abandon the classic appearance of the shop in the gallery and transform it into one whimsical and refined boutique. It introduces new lines of fashion accessories that still distinguish us. The shop in via Paolo da Cannobio is named Historic Shop by the Municipality of Milan.
Today
The boutique in the Galleria found itself having to close in 2016 to move into via Gonzaga, maintaining the central position it has always had and its contemporary and classic style together. Having the opportunity to stay in the Gallery was a privilege and a pride that we will always carry with us. The Bottega Storica in via Paolo da Cannobio resists in its essence, continuing to welcome old and new customers, seeking its most authentic strength precisely in its history. It is often believed that the small shop, the shop, no longer has a future. We believe the opposite, we believe that our uniqueness lies in history and in knowing how to tell it. We are extremely proud of what we have built in these hundred years and as long as there is a way it will be for me, Laura, a privilege to carry it forward. So best wishes to us and to you who are part of this long history!
Laura and Giancarlo Viganò
