How to Wear Lingerie, the Italian Way

A highlight of the Venice Biannale 2024 sits a few floors up at ACP Palazzo Franchetti, an art gallery in the heart of Venice, just steps away from the canal. It’s there that you can find Breasts, a major group exhibition celebrating the iconography and symbolism of breasts. Curated by Carolina Pasti, the multi-room exhibit is an exploration into how breasts have been interpreted through art from 1500 until modern day. Fittingly, the key sponsor of the exhibition, which is open through November, is Intimissimi — Italy’s leading lingerie brand.

Headquartered just a few hours away in Verona, Italy, Intimissimi prides itself on being a champion in the art of lingerie from start to finish. Within the Italian HQ, you can find departments spanning every element of design, from fabric innovation to design and construction; creativit, with every single bra containing over 30 components assembled by hand. Among the many offices in the building sits Matteo Veronesi, chief executive officer of the brand. While on a recent trip to Verona, Veronesi opens his doors to talk about the Intimissimi magic and the enduring allure of Italian sex appeal.

How does Intimissimi compare to its other competitors in the market?

First of all, every product is made internally. So, starting from the raw material for the fabrics, from every single stitch, that is designed and made internally. Most of the rest, they have some ideas and they have suppliers. Their suppliers produce for them, they resell it.

We have such a control of the product that we are not simply sellers, but we're also producer of what we sell. We have a knowledge of our product, and we can develop something that is really unique. Our collections are different in a way that basically we try to convey and put together the fashion part of it, but also the comfortable part of it. With Intimissimi, we try to convey these message and these ideas together, [while] doing something different, innovative, and stylish with an Italian touch of design.

What are some of those Italian style hallmarks that you go back to again and again?

There are some type of laces that are very well appreciated in U.S. because they represent a way of Italian lifestyle. It’s this dolce vita lifestyle —a little from the sixties, a little from the seventies, and this look of the Italian woman where they show a little bit without revealing too much. You just show a little bit of these lace details and then you can change your whole outfit.

Do you look at Milan Fashion Week and what is happening on the runways to help inspire new designs?

Generally, for sure. Our design team is always looking to the fashion system, because we are part of it. We try to combine something that can be useful that you can also wear according to the fashion trends of the moment. We do try to follow these trends. It's very important for us to connect with [runways].

How do you define Italian sexiness specifically?

The way underwear is used specifically in Italy, specifically in the summer period, in the south, is easy. You want to be sexy for yourself because you want to feel good. You want to go around showing a little bit of lace, but without like, "Okay, look at me, I’m bombshell, look at me." For us, sexy is in the more relaxed, more quiet, more for everyday, more small details of sexy. Not in the aggressive way. It’s a more romantic way of sexy, I will say.

Do you design for Italians or do you take influence from other markets as well?

We take influence for sure from other markets. We are present more than 50 markets. Having input from all over the world for us is important to develop our collections, though we do want to try to keep our DNA because it is for sure a point of differentiation.

In the U.S., we are still kind of new. A majority of people still don't know us. But once they know us, they enter in our stores, they go online, and they buy a lot. In Italy, the American tourists are the ones who spend the most. But [in America], compared to other big brands, we're still a baby, so it takes a little bit of time. But the good point is that, generally, the customers we have really love the brand.

What do you see as the difference between the American customer and the styles they gravitate towards versus the Italian?

In the U.S., our clients are looking for something more performance oriented. I would call it elevated basics. They want something to be used every day. In fact, we are developing a lot of unique fibers specifically developed for U.S. market because we are noticing that people are looking for these kind of materials that can be even more comfortable. While in other markets, it is still very trendy, fashion, and more on the sexy side.

How do you find the happy medium of comfort, yet still that sexiness and playfulness in lingerie?

You have to find balance. Because some things, you look at it and say, "Oh wow, amazing. I'm going to wear it just once." Finding something you can wear today and tomorrow is the most difficult part. But why we're able to do so is because when we develop the products, we choose the style, but then always the texture of the style. We always try to combine the performance of the fiber with the aesthetic part.