In Verona, a store that invests and bets on the brands of young talents
Macondo it is not just the imaginary and utopian village of One hundred years of solitude, the legendary book by Gabriel García Márquez, but it is also a super-contemporary store in Verona. Manuel Marelli, purchasing manager, tells us about it. «It all started in our Milanese 247, which is both a fashion company and a showroom. Here we have decided to dare space for young stylists, new fashion creatives, sometimes even investing in brands, which we then offer in the store. We do this by closely following Central St. Martins, the London fashion school, with the hub of new talent Child, together with their 1 Granary ». Some examples of new energies? «Andrea Adamo with his Adam, who in three seasons, despite Covid, is doing very well. He wants to dress the women – and men – of the world; make knitwear more inclusive in size, body and color. But also sexy. Agender, if you like: what interests him, however, is above all freedom ».
Other interesting names? «ChopoVa Lowena, the playful brand of two girls in London: Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena, a colorful mix of folk (especially Bulgarian) and sportswear. And Nensi Dojaka, 28, a Londoner of Albanian origins, a graduate of Central St. Martins, who is winning a lot of awards, the latest being the LVMH Prize, and is supported by Alessandro dell’Acqua for whom he designed a capsule. Starting from the lingerie, the “revolt” and takes it outside. Sensual and provocative, perhaps also because after lockdowns – and after months of clothing always and
necessarily comfortable – we want simple pieces, but very sexy in their linearity ». For the coming season, Marelli also signals Blumarine: “A great return, thanks to the restyling by Nicola Brognano: I can bet, the cardigans from the 2000s, but this time in pastel colors and with an eco-fur collar, will be liked.”
In the store there are also classic brands, such as Maison Margiela, or Marni. «From next spring we have reinserted Vivienne Westwood, because we are interested in the heritage of a brand. Maybe reinvented, as Francesco Risso does for Marni, with colorful and striped mohair sweaters: for men or women, indifferently ». Moving on to accessories, «we like the Medea bags, designed by the twins Giulia and Camilla Venturini: shopping bags in leather, shocking colors for spring summer. For shoes, Totême, launched in Stockholm by a former influencer, Elin Kling, who with her husband Karl Lindman created her own brand, with a very Scandinavian taste. Then Marsèll: very high quality shoes, hand-greased in the Brenta Riviera ». Among the jewels, we highlight those of Sophie Buhai: in particular her hoop earrings, small hoop earrings.
Macondo, however, is also to be discovered as a shop: «We relied on the Danish creative agency Moon: they studied the concept, the new logo and the image. We had enjoyed their projects very much, from Ganni to Rimowa. Then of course, we opened in December 2019 and closed at the beginning of March 2020, with the first lockdown … But now we are going at supersonic speed ». An address of the heart, in Verona, is «the Locanda di Castelvecchio, a historic restaurant: you enter the boiserie of what was a pharmacy in the eighteenth century. I have traveled the world, but I find this old style intact, powerful, very interesting ». As in the shop: two speeds.