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Krizia is a designer label and manufacturer of ladies' handbags, clothing, footwear and perfumes.[1] The ready-to-wear fashion label was established in 1954 in Milan, Italy, by Mariuccia Mandelli (1925–2015).[2][3] Her husband Aldo Pinto was chairman of the company.[4]
Mandelli unveiled her first black-and-white collection at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy, in 1964, which earned her a Critica della Moda award.[2] The brand's first and historic location was on Via della Spiga, 23 in Milan.[5] Under Mandelli, Krizia rapidly expanded during the 1960s and 1970s.[2] In 1971, Krizia released a version of shorts cut "very short", an early form of hot pants.[2] Every year, Mandelli would knit a different animal on selected items of her collection.[6]
In 1985, Krizia opened a private art showroom (Spazio Krizia) on Via Manin, 21, in Milan.[4] At its height, in the 1990s, the fashion house was doing half a billion dollars of annual business.[7] It was while at the helm of Krizia that Mandelli introduced the high fashion world to hot pants.[8][9] In 1992, the company launched its affordable brand MM by Krizia, a year after its licence-holder Hartmarx suggested it.[10] In 1995, the company was trialed in the USA, along with many other Italian fashion brands, for "bribing tax officers in exchange for lenient audits".[11] In Italy, the investigation was handled by Mani pulite's magistrate Antonio Di Pietro.[12]
In February 2014, Shenzhen Marisfrolg, a Chinese corporation owned by the entrepreneur and designer Zhu Chongyun, bought Krizia and Mandelli stepped down from a leadership role.[13][14] In 2015, the Via della Spiga's historic store was revamped by designer Vincenzo de Cotiis.[5] In January 2017, Simona Clemenza was named CEO of the company.[15] Two Krizia boutiques opened in China, and in March 2017, the Spazio Krizia reopened.[4] In June 2018, Clemenza left the company.[15]
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