Luisa Beccaria, her fashion, her family and that feud in Sicily (which inspires her so much)

Luisa Beccaria, her romantic and eco-friendly dresses, her family and that feud in Sicily…

To see this eighteenth-century village of pale stone in the hills in the province of Syracuse, ancient and abandoned, surrounded by nature like Arcadia, was something of an electric shock. It was the country home of the Marquis Di Lorenzo Borgia de Castelluccio, of whom her husband, Lucio Bonaccorsi of the Princes of Reburdone, is the heir. Luisa Beccaria decides to bring him back to life. Outside in 1993. Not everyone in the family understands her. After all, it took a pioneering spirit to envision what the field would become. “So to get there from Catania, you drove four hours on back roads. Noto, Modica, Scicli were not the destinations we know, the bars were still only men in flat caps. There was not even water here, we grew only almond trees, which grow even in the driest soils. We discovered a well on the farm only in 1999, when my last son Luchino was born. It became Pozzo Luchino, and then this hill became fertile and began to produce oil, lemons, oranges and bergamot.”

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Thus begins in her Milanese atelier on Via Formentini 1 in Brera, the story of that Sicily that the Milanese designer, a descendant of Cesare Beccaria, holds in her heart, surrounded by the soft yet determined colors of her latest collections.

“I was 30 years old and I liked the idea of ​​paying tribute to my husband’s land, which also belonged to my half-Sicilian children. A land whose power I have always felt: the first known oil in the world seems to have been mined right on the hills of Castelluccio, in pre-Christian times. And here a necropolis dating back to 7 thousand BC was discovered.” This is how Feudo del Castelluccio – with its school, church and farmhouses – comes back to life after careful and respectful restoration work. “I wanted it to keep its delabre, authentic feel, it wasn’t supposed to be a 7-star residence.”

He also told this American Vogue setting history here in 2001 air castle: She and her daughters have worn their creations in living rooms and gardens to showcase the close connection between the brand’s style and the way old, mighty stone walls are reimagined with ease and harmony. Even the choice of colors – always soft – furniture – from wrought iron beds to quilted chairs – jute, fabrics – made by those who supply the brand or bought from local markets – always match the charm of the brand here. Today Castelluccio is an oasis with 32 rooms reserved for the family, but always open to passing guests and friends. One for all, the Madonna, who came to Sicily just a year ago to celebrate her 64th birthday in the Baroque style, remained right in the ancient walls of civil strife. Everyone is strongly impressed by this place. “This is not just a holiday home, this is a working village, a farm; there is Santina who bakes bread, we produce ricotta and provola. Imagine the surprise of those who come here from America, for example, and discover the zero-economy paradise that is part and parcel of our way of life. This is a real exotic for them.”

Being a pioneer and discoverer is part of the stylist’s DNA: her first creations were presented at the Fornasetti Gallery, when the union of art and fashion was not yet talked about. The presentations took place in the council house in Brera, with guests in the courtyard and dressed models on the balconies. Then definitely an innovative formula! “But even choosing this area of ​​the city as an atelier was for an outsider,” he tells us. “I opened my first store here in 1984, it was a working quarter for artists. The fashion district originated elsewhere, but I liked the idea that this is the left bank of Milan and customers should look for us, a place not to be missed.” This is how the essence of the brand is created. “We were among the first in the world to target a niche luxury product, 100% Made in Italy, crafted by our tailors, sustainable and built to last. And with a great chromatic exploration of the subdued colors of sunsets, sunrises, the colors of nature.” The colors that are now very recognizable and make Luisa Beccaria clothes romantic and unique are also loved by celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Uma Thurman, Anne Hathaway. And J Lo too.

“We have always proceeded from the fact that a beautiful dress is like a good friend, you will find it again, even years later, in your wardrobe, combine it with different accessories, and it will make you beautiful again.”

And if the first collections were haute couture and defiled in Paris, then the ready-to-wear lines appeared, as she herself likes to define them, also distributed in department stores and ateliers with wedding dresses, as well as on special orders. , bespoke designs or with simple custom touches for clients. This year, the designer opened a new boutique in Capri, right on the Piazzetta, where she also sells “lighter” clothing in cotton: swimwear, hats, sarongs, tops and shorts with seasonal prints. “For me, the discovery of Dolce Vita on the island was an important branding operation. I’ve never wanted to have stores anywhere else in the world, even if the temptation has been strong at times—I’d love to do that, especially in New York—but I’ve always preferred to have direct control over my sales. But you can get to Capri in an instant, the world goes through Capri and you have a vision of everyone’s tastes.”

On the other hand, we are talking about a constantly evolving brand. You cannot stand still. After all, “if you want to get somewhere, you have to run at least twice as fast,” said the Red Queen to Alice in Wonderland. Alice in the Wonderland. And for this, Louise today also counts on her five children, of whom she speaks with pride: “It was not obvious that everyone wanted to divide this world and transform it in accordance with their feelings. This is how we can talk about this “Peace of Lou”, which comes from the names of all family members: parents Luisa and Lucio, and then Lucilla, Lucrezia, Ludovico, Luna and Luchino.

Lucilla is her right hand, having dated her at the end of fashion shows for years, and the brand’s creations since 2018 range from fashion to homewear, to art de la tableau with prints and flowers. couture collections. To even get to some beauty products made with Castelluccio olive oil. Luna is also working on developing e-commerce, “which is delivering great results,” Louise says. Lucino, the youngest, recently graduated from the family business in London and is gaining experience with outside companies, as they say, a “family structure” to then take care of the overall development of the brand’s activities, which include too far away, the hospitality zone with the opening of a luxury hotel.

I only left Ludovico and Lucrezia for last because their LuBar, this Sicilian-Milanese bistro set in the magnificent conservatory of the Palazzo Reale in Milan, is the concept of a street food project in Sicily, right where our story is. “Lucretia left with the food truck formula at the entrance to the Vendicari oasis, where there was once a small bar offering products from the supermarket, shall we say, not of the best quality. We covered it with bamboo, scattered bougainvillea petals, and in a very short time, with the fruits of our land and some traditional Sicilian dishes, we reached the top of Tripadvisor. Then, together with Ludovico, they moved the business to Milan, and for several years a monkey car drove around the city with this interesting offer. However, when a tender came out for a dining room at Villa Reale, next to the Gallery of Modern Art and overlooking those gardens that I saw from the windows of the house when I had small children, Ludovico and Lucrezia, Lucilla decided to take part, and they won. My children inherited from us the art of receiving from an early age and here they practice it from 8 am with coffee and croissants until midnight.” The menu offers Sicilian cuisine and wines, made from raw materials of excellent quality and with a modern interpretation: Sicilian cannoli and almond milk, small arancini, avocado panel, eggplant balls with mint and almonds. To wash it all down, a great selection of wines, many from Sicily. At the counter, you can buy some of the farm’s products, such as Castelluccio oil, which has such an ancient history, as well as various Mediterranean dishes. Mise-en-scène ceramics from Caltagirone and interior design can only be elegant and cosmopolitan. Matches the style of the family.

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