THE HISTORY OF LUISA VIA ROMA

 

HOW IS A SECRET OF A PHENOMENON COMMERCIAL AND CULTURAL SO IMPORTANT?

THE E-COMMERCE PLATFORM LUISAVIAROMA.COM, EVERY DAY VISITED BY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THE PLANET.

The story takes us back to the late 1920s when Frenchwoman Luisa Jaquin married Florentine Lido Panconesi and opened a boutique selling straw hats in Paris. Lido Panconesi, who loved to bet on horses, at one point lost all his money at the Arc de Triomphe and they escaped to Brazil. In Brazil, they made a small fortune and not long after they moved back to Europe, relocating to Florence, Italy where Luisa opened a small hat boutique on via Roma.

At the time, women changed their hats three times a day: in the morning, for tea and in the evening. Lido Panconesi slowly expanded the store, adding clothes and building his own factory to produce them. In 1968, he sold the factory which had become too much of a commitment.

While still in school, Andrea Panconesi, Luisa’s grandson, started dressing the windows and flew to Paris on his first buying trip. Through one of his connections, Andrea had found out that a Japanese designer who was showing there at the moment had very innovative and avant-garde designs and he wanted to have a closer look at him. The designer turned out to be Kenzo and Luisa Via Roma was the first store in Europe to present the Japanese designer’s Fall/Winter 1968/69 collection.

Since Andrea Panconesi’s first revolutionary choice, Luisaviaroma has grown as a constantly innovative hunter for emergent fashion talents. Many of the major fashion houses of today were just beginning to assert themselves when they were introduced to LUISAVIAROMA’s  selection.

The concept of LUISAVIAROMA has been established gradually throughout the years, and as early as the 1980s, it had become a true reference point for devotees of luxury and fashion, flourishing as one of the most famous boutiques in the world. Panconesi and his buyers are still in the front row at fashion shows in Paris, New York, London and Milan, where they choose the most avant-garde and chic pieces of major international designers to take back to the company headquarters in Florence.

the 1980s
Westuff becomes the first alternative news publication to write about art, fashion and music. Andrea Panconesi acts as publisher and the editorial staff includes Stefano Tonchi for fashion, Maria Luisa Frisa for art and Bruno Casini for music. Kyle Bradfield also shares his creative genius with LUISAVIAROMA. Kyle’s profound understanding of beauty and unique abilities give Luisa Via Roma’s windows the elegance of a true visionary.

1999
LUISAVIAROMA branches into e-commerce on Luisaviaroma.com, created as a reaction to the desire to satisfy the expectations of the most demanding customers who, despite being abroad, demand the same service and quality that the physical location in Via Roma is famous for.

2005
With the addition of the creative marketing of Felice Limosani, the store begins to arrange events in order to enhance communication with companies such as Nokia, FIAT, Puma, Adidas, Missoni, Lacoste, Levi’s, TIM and Coca-Cola, applying new experiential marketing techniques. LUISAVIAROMA’s starting point has always been the true belief that clients are not satisfied with mere products, but are looking for unconventional experiences as well.

2008
LUISAVIAROMA undergoes rennovations, launching in a new extended 360° vision of the concept of shopping that combined eco-conscious principles, an interactive website, exceptional service and an emotionally engaging commitment to the satisfaction of each client. A timeless storefront is crafted in exclusively local materials that are eco-friendly and energy saving.

The perimetres for restructuring the three store boutique, LUISAVIAROMA, include the principles of economic sustainability and the conservation of energy resources.
The combination of materials, LED lighting and local enterprises create a multimedia area where new trends in international fashion intersected with the issue of environmental protection. On the top floor and terrace, this intersection with fashion and nature invites you to enjoy the restaurant that welcomes clients looking to taste a variety of Italian treats.

2010
LUISAVIAROMA celebrates 10 years of online activity with a grand three-day party, FIRENZE4EVER… It’s Magic!, inviting the 40 most influential fashion bloggers from all over the world to create their own multibrand looks and do photoshoots, complete with professional photographers, makeup artist and hair stylists provided by LUISAVIAROMA.
Today, FIRENZE4EVER takes place each season, prior to all fashion weeks, transforming Florence into one giant fashion hotspot and attracting international recognition of the participating brands and partners, as well as the blogger guests.

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