Missoni, Simonetta Sign Childrenswear Licensing Agreement

MILAN — Missoni has signed a multiyear licensing agreement with Italian manufacturing company Simonetta for the development, production and worldwide distribution of the Missoni Kids line, starting from the spring 2023 collection.

Missoni Kids will include ready-to-wear for boys and girls ages 4 to 14, as well as babies from three months to 12 months through a nursery capsule gift box, to be distributed in a selection of multibrand retailers as well as department stores worldwide.

“Joy, spontaneity, quality and beauty are values of the Missoni lifestyle that we obviously had to reveal also in the ranges for kids and teenagers,” Livio Proli, chief executive officer of Missoni Group, said in a statement.

The executive underscored the two parties share “passion for colors that will allow us to offer younger customers some must-have collections, distinctive and with an appropriate price-for-value ratio.”

Missoni’s inaugural childrenswear range under the new license will also comprise two capsule collections dedicated to mini-me looks and beachwear, all sporting the brand’s signature mix of vibrant shades and patterns, including the zig-zag motif reinterpreted with relief prints and multicolored embroidery. A dedicated segment for special occasions will complete the range with more dressed-up yet playful outfits, such as suits in crimped fabrics and enhanced with psychedelic micro-patterns.

Founded in the 1950s in Jesi, in Italy’s Marche region, Simonetta is among the market leaders in the high-end childrenswear industry. Along with operating its namesake brand, the company currently manufactures and distributes under license the kids’ collections of Lanvin, Emilio Pucci, Balmain, Elie Saab and Stella McCartney, among others.

The company set up a department to manage the licensed brands in 2000 when it started collaborations with the likes of Roberto Cavalli and Tod’s for the Roberto Cavalli Junior and Fay Junior brands, respectively. Ten years later it began its partnership with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton that in 2016 evolved into a license production agreement for Fendi kids and baby collections.

In June 2017, Simonetta was acquired by Italian textile and fashion manufacturer Isa Seta S.p.A., which is under the Carisma group’s umbrella.