How to create an iconic brand – Volume 11: Moschino

35 years in fashion. That’s what Moschino is about: one of the most famous Italian brands in the world and beloved by many fashionistas, yesterday and today. Franco Moschino, the visionary designer that broke the style rules with his irreverent and disillusioned attitude towards the fashion industry, founded this iconic brand in 1983. Jeremy Scott, since 2013, is bringing this label into the contemporary age, thanks to its funny and desecrating style. Are you ready to discover everything about Moschino’s history? Relax and take a seat: today’s fashion lesson is offered by The Blonde Salad!

From 1983 to 1994: the fashion world met Franco Moschino

His dream was to become a painter, but at the end, fashion prevailed. Franco Moschino, born in 1950 in Abbiategrasso, a small city near Milan, was very skilled in painting and art. But after his studies at Istituto Marangoni and some collaborations as a fashion illustrator with brands like Gianni Versace and Cadette, Franco Moschino decided to start his career as a designer founding his brand, Moschino Couture!, in 1983.

Since his debut, Moschino’s style overwhelmed the fashion industry. Anarchic, rogue, provocative, exuberant: that what Franco Moschino was. His vision on fashion, as he used to say, wasn’t to create something new, but to re-create something that was already existing. “There’s no creativity without chaos”, was his motto. Under his pencil, the Chanel suit worn by Eighties wealthy ladies was completely downplayed with forks and spoons as buttons, while  newspaper Gazzetta dello sport inspired masculine suits’ fabrics. His dresses were embroidered with the price tag or with cult captions, like “Fashion Fashioff”, “Bullchic” or “Stop the fashion system!”.

With his satirical and spontaneous view on fashion and style, the Italian designer conquered the hearts of many women, who weren’t just interested in new shapes and details, but also to social issues, such as environmental safety and world peace. Moschino was the perfect ambassador of his own brand, posing in front of the camera and spreading warnings against drugs, racism, and consumerism. Princess Diana, sensitive to all of these issues, was fascinated by his sense of style and she asked him many times to design for her custom-made dresses.

The enfant terrible of Italian fashion’s rise was unfortunately destined to end soon. In 1993, exactly 10 years after the launch of Moschino Couture!, the designer celebrated his career in fashion with the big exhibition “X anni di Kaos!” (“Ten years of Kaos!”) at Museo della Permanente in Milano. The whole event seemed to be created as a farewell: one year later, on September 18th, 1994, Franco Moschino died at 44.

From 1994 to 2013: Rossella Jardini brought Moschino in the future

Rossella Jardini, Franco Moschino’s former assistant, took the helm of the brand after the designer passed away. She had to face a very hard challenge: to manage the designer’s legacy and to bring Moschino’s aesthetic and vision in the world. Actually, she was the only who could face this challenge: she was the only one to know Moschino’s thoughts deeply. During her creative tenure (in 1999, the brand was purchased by Italian fashion group Aeffe), Jardini decided to stay close to the founder’s imagery, re-creating some of Franco’s most iconic pieces. In September 2013, during spring-summer 2014 fashion week, she brought on stage an archive collection to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the brand.

Since 2013: Jeremy Scott is writing a new chapter of Moschino’s history

After the 30th anniversary celebrations, for Moschino was time to change. Jeremy Scott, the Los Angeles-based designer that Karl Lagerfeld usually mentions as his successor at Chanel, took the helm of the brand in 2013, bringing his sarcastic and funny style at Moschino. He loved prints, logos, and mottos, just like a Franco Moschino 2.0.

McDonald’s, Barbie, Looney Tunes, Spongebob… through the years, Jeremy Scott collected many important collaborations for Moschino, bringing the brand at the top of young fashionistas’ wish lists all over the world. Moschino’s wardrobe essentials: easy to wear pieces, such as the see now-buy now capsule collections on sale straight after the fashion show, and couture maxi gowns.

Once upon a time, Princess Diana was Moschino’s style ambassador. Today, Jeremy Scott vision for the Italian brand is portrayed on the red carpet by famous celebrities like Madonna, Katy Perry, Cardi B and our dearest Chiara Ferragni, who never misses a chance to see Moschino’s show from the front row!

Moschino’s next chapter? The upcoming fashion collection for H&M! The Italian brand is the new guest designer of the Swedish group and it’s going to design a special collection that will be released on November 8th. The MOSCHINO [tv] H&M collection was announced by Jeremy Scott and Gigi Hadid during last Coachella festival.

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Moschino (TV) @hm collection coming November 8 @itsjeremyscott @gigihadid #hmoschino #jeremyscott #gigihadid photo @ronyalwin

A post shared by Moschino (@moschino) on Apr 18, 2018 at 1:11pm PDT

Our fashion lesson is over! Are you still hungry for more Moschino news? Let’s have a throwback to some of the most beautiful Moschino collections designed by Jeremy Scott in the gallery below and on The Blonde Salad Instagram account!