“Maccapani è sconfinamento, esibizione, contaminazione. Come un tocco vezzoso di lilla che inopinatamente trasfigura il grigiore e la prevedibilità del nostro conosciuto.” – Mariuccia Casadio
“MACCAPANI is all about being authentic. Everything we do is based on reality. It is always light and not pretentious, but not always sunny.” – Margherita Maccapani
“Maccapani non è l’ennesimo fashion brand, ma un progetto di emancipazione da stagioni e tendenze. È un guardaroba componibile, fatto di pezzi da indossare dalla mattina alla sera, dedicato allo stile di vita delle donne di oggi. Donne oltre gli schemi, senza remore, né tabù, che rivendicano un modo confortevole, più facile di essere e di vestire.” – Mariuccia Casadio
A new forward-looking take on "made-in-Italy"
That goes beyond the contemporary wardrobe
Within the clash of youth culture & tradition
A new mode, a new shared language
With function at its core…
The norm-core becomes extraordinary
Inspired and enhanced by the women’s body
As a way of self-expression & freedom
Using the existing to create the new
Versatile staples for a new timeless unconformity
Everything with a reason.
Everything with effortless expression.
Everything with honest simplicity.
It’s all about evolution not revolution.
MARGHERITA MACCAPANI
in conversation with Elisa Carassai
How and why did you decide to name the brand MACCAPANI? It takes its name from another side of your family history, but there’s a curious story behind it. Can you tell me more about it?
Well, yes, Maccapani also represents a side of me not many know about, a side that has always been slightly hidden, and it also happens to be my other family surname. So, it was serendipitous that while looking for the name, this side that had always been sidelined was then highlighted by coincidence: a text from a friend of my dad’s with a picture of a bag – a promotional gadget of a travel agency that my grandfather had in the 1970s. When I saw it, all of a sudden, everything made sense! I just immediately loved the sound of it. Although it had a bit of an old-school connotation, I liked that there was a bit of a juxtaposition between its history and the ethos of the brand, which makes it highly contemporary. And now, we use the bag as a fetish object in communication.
I also love that MACCAPANI shows a different side of you – an intrinsically human side.
While everyone always had a colorful and flowery idea of me – of mind, spirit, and aesthetics, on the other hand, MACCAPANI is all about being authentic. Everything we do is based on reality. It is always light and not pretentious, but not always sunny. We have such a phobia of suffering in our society, but the truth is sometimes dark periods can bring new beginnings. This is a beautiful moment for me, with the birth of a brand, with so many new things emerging, and that comes from a challenging time of suffering in my life. Without that experience, I would never have come to do this, right? It seems redundant, but I am grateful, as I needed to go through it to rise from the ashes like a phoenix.
You mention that the whole collection is dedicated to the comfort and practicality of women – can you explain this point a bit more?
The garments are functional pieces that can take you through the day, from the office to a night out. We want to follow women's lives without borrowing from the world of sports or men’s wardrobes. In fashion history, there have always been brands – from Chanel, who cut knit trousers to send women on horseback, and even my grandparents, who added lurex to knitwear to allow them to party comfortably. We want to follow in those footsteps: to be very close to women’s bodies, only using Jersey. This material allows the comfort of knits while holding shapes almost like other materials. Jersey allows it to have a different look with functionality at its core.
So functionality, comfort but also body confidence…
Another essential part of this is connected to the liberation of the woman's body. And as the years went by, I started noticing that when taking on new roles – as a mother, as a grown woman – people expected me to dress 'modestly' to avoid a reaction. With MACCAPANI, I want women to feel comfortable and confident dressing at any age; women should be able to showcase their bodies because they are happy to and not out of fear of a reaction or to create a response. We will also do this by introducing a whole section of garments dedicated to something I call playwear: bodycon, essential layers of the wardrobe that look like underwear but are worn as clothing and make you feel good.
And lastly, talking about making women feel good – the whole idea behind MACCAPANI seems intrinsically related to the community – you talk about your “MACCA people” a lot.
Can you tell me more about how you plan to involve the community in your brand?
Community is so important to us! We want to give voice to anyone who wants to be part of MACCA: from ordinary users to ambassadors, artists, creatives, and anyone is welcome, truly! And our socials will do just that for our world: be a container tool through which we can give voice to people who are related to us for different reasons, whether it's a poet or an artist sharing their work or an activist in need of a platform.