Alberto Caliri’s new vision for Missoni: ‘It’s about getting back to an essence’

In 1967, Rosita Missoni caused a sensation at Pitti Palace in Florence. Backstage, moments before showing her new collection, she told the models to remove their bras, thinking they looked awkward beneath ethereal, flowing lamé blouses she had designed that season. Under the bright runway lights, little was left to the imagination – scandalous in the day – and Missoni wasn’t invited back to Pitti the following year. Tipping the Milanese label into an era of global influence, the moment wasn’t a disaster – by the end of 1967, the brand had established a presence in Paris, and by 1968, a slew of magazine covers in America. The mishap, accidental as it was, unwittingly unleashed the sensual and free-spirited Missoni identity as we know it today.

No one is better versed, perhaps besides the Missoni family, in the tales of the house as Alberto Caliri. Unveiled today at Milan Fashion Week A/W 2025, his confident return as creative director is the product of 30 years spent working in-studio at the brand, which he first joined in 1998 just after Angela Missoni took the reins from her parents. Moving up through the ranks and hopping from menswear, to beachwear, to ready-to-wear, until he was appointed chief designer in 2021, he comes back into the big seat from his previous role heading up Missoni’s home department. It’s a move the brand hopes will unify Missoni’s sunny, zig-zagged legacy into one cohesive whole.

Missoni A/W 2025: ‘A deep exploration of texture and materiality’

‘The thing I liked the most when I first arrived was the extraordinary atmosphere,’ he tells Wallpaper*. ‘It felt like a family and it was a pleasure to be there. At the same time, I could see the opportunity to do a million things. It was clear from the very beginning that this was not a place where one could get bored.’

His A/W 2025 collection was about getting ‘back to an essence’. A love letter to knitwear, Missoni’s signature material, ran through a layering of intricately textured polos, folksy jumpers, and modish plaid mini dresses cropped beneath hulking outdoorsy jackets. Paying special attention to form and materiality, Caliri’s garments enveloped models in weighty parkas, structured glittering suits, and fluid buttonless blazers that took on masculine tailoring with intuitive ease. ‘The idea was to recover what we felt most connected to, exploring the very roots of the brand’s style and spirit,’ he says. ‘A new, contemporary silhouette, a deep exploration of texture and materiality, and a strong focus on colour.’

Unravelling Missoni’s rainbow-threaded history, Caliri’s palette presented an autumnal paring-back of the house’s signature stripes in mellow creams, deep bronzes, navy blues, blacks, and burnt yellow. Glints of metallic flickered like light on water, winking at the disco era Missoni personified in the 1970s without lingering too long in the past. Instead, Caliri was thinking about how the Missoni woman of 2025 might live in these clothes; moving from day to night, ‘his jumper becoming hers in the evening’.

Seen all together, the result was a wardrobe that felt foundational yet new, presenting the act of dressing as a natural impulse rather than a performance. ‘The Missoni woman is a woman with a sense of humour, someone who doesn’t take herself too seriously,’ Caliri explains. ‘A charge of femininity blended with masculine elements. Looking at the founders, I have always perceived a sort of overlap of different spirits.’

While the collection displayed a deep respect for these strong women and a canonical knowledge of Missoni’s archives, Caliri was careful to keep a dialogue with the present moment. ‘The feeling was not one of radical change, but rather of return,’ he explains. ‘Missoni is one of those brands that does not need major revolutions. The real challenge was precisely this: not to deny the past but to make it as contemporary as possible. It is about continuing to breathe life into this spirit, not disrupting it, but allowing it to evolve constantly, exploring new facets without ever breaking continuity.’

There’s something refreshing about this anti-revolutionary approach, especially at a moment when designers spend increasingly shorter spells at brands, often brought on by leadership in the hopes that radical change equals increased revenue. Caliri’s three-decade stewardship at Missoni makes a case for staying put, for preserving legacy and respectfully adding to the tapestry that has stretched before him.

‘What excites me the most is the opportunity to work across multiple aspects of the brand, exploring its many creative dimensions,’ he says, looking to the future. ‘The idea is to create a world that belongs to us – from interior design to fashion, even real estate. The aim is to shape a more complex and articulated brand image, as if each of these facets were musical notes – the more you add, the greater the composition.’

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