Charting his rise from a rebellious dreamer to a global trendsetter, a new retrospective at Triennale Milano presents the life and impact of Elio Fiorucci, featuring archival objects, neon-lit installations, innovative clothing and collaborations with icons like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Madonna
Everyone has a memory of Fiorucci. It could be the clothes – the spandex leotards, leopard print, infamous cherub logo tee or stretchy denim jeans so tight they’re like a second pair of skin. It could also be the quirky gadgets, makeup, furniture, books or iconography; the pop art posters, gnome stools, angel tins and pencil cases. All of which were (and still are) sold in the infamous store in Galleria Passarella, Milan, where the thumping baseline of disco music and neon lights teased those passing by to take a peak, the unmissable scent of perfume luring them in like a spell.
It was more than just shop, it was an experience – a cultural mecca where people could come together to revel in the rebellious energy that its founder Elio Fiorucci brought to Italy, and then the world.
Elio Fiorucci opened his flagship store in Milan after a trip to London during the mid-60s, in which he became inspired by British designers such as Mary Quant, an instrumental figure in Mod and youth movements, as well as Swinging Sixties culture. Upon his return to Milan, he was determined to inject the same energy into Italian fashion, setting up what would be the antithesis to the political upheaval of the time (there was a wave of far-left and far-right political terrorism and violent clashes).
His knack for curating trends quickly evolved into a hub for those looking for something daringly different. He was a ‘trend setter’ before the term was even coined, bringing tight-fitting denim and graphic t-shirts into the mainstream, and ultimately turning his customers into walking pieces of art.
By the late-70s, Fiorucci had become a global hit, with stores opening in London, Tokyo and New York – the US scene often describing the East 59th Street post as a “daytime Studio 54” for the same rebellious buzz that it brought, most notably in the parties and clientele that it attracted – Madonna and Cher to name a few. He collaborated with artists like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, and his reputation as both an innovator and a brand quickly solidified. And despite financial challenges and changing tastes in the late 80s, which ultimately led to the closure of US locations, Fiorucci pushed through and evolved into the brand that we all know and love today, setting pace for a globalised fashion scene and the introduction of underground trends to the market: thongs from Brazil, Afghan coats, camouflage prints and the invention of the famed stretch jeans. Even after Fiorucci’s passing in 2015, the brand continued his legacy with a new store opening in London’s Brewer Street in 2017, and a Rizzoli published book celebrating 50 years of Fiorucci.
The energy of Fiorucci – the lively, often outrageous and contagious spirit – is mirrored in the most extensive retrospective of Fiorucci to date, held at Milan’s Triennale Milano and running until 16 March 2025. Curated by Judith Clark and with exhibition design by Fabio Cherstich, the exhibition surveys his life, vision and influence through his personal archives, as well as a series of never-heard-before audio recordings, graphics and suitably bright neon light fittings. As Stefano Boeri, president of Triennale Milano, says: “We wanted to fill, right here, where the Fiorucci phenomenon was born and exploded, the void of a formidable amnesia. Milan, thanks to Fiorucci, has in fact been for at least two decades one of the magnets of the most advanced ideas in international youth culture and the cradle of the most fertile and daring contaminations not only between fashion, design, visual art and advertising, but also between culture and commerce. By invading the dark Milan of the 1970s with colours and shapes and then exporting his chromatic comet to the world, Elio Fiorucci gave his city the gift of primacy in international creativity.”
Chronological in sequence, the exhibition recounts a biographical tale of how Fiorucci became the indomitable Fiorucci – “You enter into his brain,” says Marco Sammicheli, director of Museo del Design Italiano, and curator of design, fashion and crafts at Triennale Milano. “It’s a movie.” Upon entering the space, the show opens up with a replica of the classroom, where a window cut-out provides a peephole view to the rest of the exhibition. It’s known that, during Fiorucci’s childhood, he was a rebellious daydreamer, often peering out the window at school. As Cherstich says, “Fiorucci was a distracted child who was looking out the window. My choice was to stage a school room with a window that looks outside; Fiorucci is looking out to his entire life of shop windows, travel, the world.”
The exhibition continues to unravel in various layers, revealing stories about Fiorucci’s journey to becoming a retail giant and trendsetter of a generation – and more. Cherstich worked closely with Clark to create “an order” out of the “plethora of items” on display, which becomes particularly rife in the second chapter of the show. The third segment is devoured in graphic details and objects from the flagship shop, “to create a playful and happy atmosphere”, just like the store would have done for many of its visitors over the years. Peppered throughout the exhibition are archival pieces such as polaroids from Maripol – depicting figures like Warhol at various parties – and life-sized installations, videos, architectural models, various works of art and, of course, clothing. A large-scale sculpture by Alessandro Mendini is also seen alongside a pair of glittery gold cowboy boots, and texts from key figures in his life and press snippets that revive personal narratives and tales of the brand.
One such story is from Gian Luigi Paracchini, who recounted the historical store launch in Corriere della Sera (21 July 2015): “It is rare for a store opening to become a memorable event. However, a lot of people can remember Wednesday, 31 May 1967, when Fiorucci opened his first shop in Galleria Passarella in the heart of Milan. And not just because, at one point, Adriano Celentano showed up in the young crowd with the ‘kids’ from his gang, in a pastel pink Cadillac straight out of Hollywood, from Sunset Boulevard. But also because, from that day on, under the Fiorucci banner, Milan embarked upon a new technicolour life and style experience. […] ‘Let’s meet in front of Fiorucci!’ It became the trendy spot for teenagers to hang out, and not just to shop: music blasting at full volume, light shows, special effects, and almost three-dimensional neon installations, previously only found in nightclubs or at Pink Floyd concerts.”
It’s these very memories that make the Fiorucci exhibition so vital in the preservation of his legacy. “Memory is a central theme in this exhibition,” says Clark. “We’re in Milan, a city that remembers Fiorucci for transforming shops, expanding and evolving spaces, and changing how people connected. His shop was a city landmark; people met there at various times. Even if they didn’t necessarily wear his clothes or his tight jeans, they still knew about the shop. Curating an exhibition in a city that holds so many memories of the person on display is challenging.
The other memory is Elio Fiorucci himself, remembering his own life. The soundtrack of that is in the space and part of the show. It’s also him as an 80 year old man looking back at his own life.
Then there are my memories as a child, buying the pencil case and having the t-shirt. There’s an immediacy of the responsibility of exhibiting someone who was a giant figure growing up. When he was at the peak of Fiorucci, I was a teenager and coming of age. So that is really important in terms of responsibility. And the other thing is to not take away from an exhibition that aims to be didactic; to not take away the fun, given that fun was one of his key attributes. We were always balancing out what we could do that was so-called scientific, and what was actually putting back some of the energy and the attitude into the show with this responsibility.”
Head here to read the full interview with Clark on our sister magazine, Anima, where she shares her own personal stories of Fiorucci, the key pieces to look out for in the exhibition, and the influence the brand will have on generations to come.
Elio Fiorucci is on view at Triennale Milano until 16 March 2025
