Fiorucci

The "two angels" logo is Fiorucci's most recognisable symbol, a pair of cheeky cherubs modelled after Raphael's putti. It was created by designer Italo Lupi around 1970, after the company set up its own manufacturing plant. Those mischievous angels capture the brand's playful, pop-art spirit and remain its signature motif today.

If you love the brand's irreverent, disco-era heritage, a piece carrying the cherub logo is the most authentic way to own a bit of it. Fiorucci has always been about attitude and pop-culture energy more than quiet luxury, so the appeal is as much cultural as material. Buy it because you connect with that daytime Studio 54 playfulness, not as an investment piece.

Fiorucci opened in New York City in 1976, just down the block from Bloomingdale's, and it became a magnet for trendsetters from Andy Warhol to Madonna. The buzzing, hedonistic crowd it drew earned it the nickname the daytime Studio 54. It was less a shop than a social scene at the heart of the disco age.

Fiorucci is credited with creating the designer-jean market and, in 1982, launching the first stretch jeans made with Lycra. The skin-tight denim became a cultural moment, and the success of its 5-pocket "Safety" jeans was later recognised in a licensing deal with Wrangler. Form-fitting denim is a core part of the Fiorucci legend.

Fiorucci was founded by Elio Fiorucci in 1967, when he opened his first shop on Galleria Passarella in Milan on 31 May. The store exposed Milan to the styles of Swinging London alongside American classics like the T-shirt and jeans. From that single Milan boutique grew a label that helped globalise fashion.

Elio Fiorucci was the founder, born in Milan on 10 June 1935, the son of a shoe shop owner. His first hit came in 1962 with brightly coloured galoshes, and after a 1965 trip to London he set out to bring Carnaby Street fashion to Milan. He died in his Milan home on 20 July 2015, at the age of 80.

Fiorucci sat at the centre of New York's downtown art and music scene. Madonna performed at a birthday party for the brand in 1983 while still largely unknown, and in the early 1980s the brand's art director was Maripol, the jewellery designer behind Madonna's look. Andy Warhol was among the famous trendsetters drawn to the New York store.

Despite strong sales, poor management caught up with the company. It closed its New York store in 1986 and went into administration in 1989, after which the brand was dogged by trademark battles and several relaunches that failed to make much impact. It passed through owners including Italy's Carrera and Japan's Edwin before its modern revival.

A month before Elio Fiorucci's death in 2015, the brand was sold to Janie and Stephen Schaffer, who had together founded the high-street chain Knickerbox in 1986. Janie had previously been a CEO of Victoria's Secret. They relaunched the label and, in September 2017, opened a 5,000 sq ft destination store on Brewer Street in London's Soho during London Fashion Week.

The relaunch under the Schaffers leaned into the brand's playful glamour, with a campaign featuring model Georgia May Jagger. To mark the brand's 50th anniversary in 2017, publisher Rizzoli released a book titled Fiorucci, with a foreword by Oscar-winning director Sofia Coppola, signalling the label's enduring cultural pull.

Treat printed cotton gently to protect the artwork: wash inside out on a cool cycle, skip the tumble dryer where you can, and avoid ironing directly over any logo or graphic. This keeps the cherub print crisp and the fabric soft. With a little care, a good Fiorucci tee holds its character for years.

Fiorucci became shorthand for cool. It was name-checked in Sister Sledge's disco hit "He's the Greatest Dancer" in 1979, alongside Halston and Gucci, and has surfaced in songs across decades. That cultural footprint is part of why the brand still feels relevant: it has always lived where fashion, music and nightlife meet.