Fiorucci's Back

In the 1970's and 80's, Fiorucci was the ultimate destination for street cool. Can the “daytime Studio 54” be revived for a new generation? Christopher Bagley reports.

- Christopher Bagley

Anyone who has ever attempted to revive a fabled fashion brand knows that there are always going to be a few skeptics out there, especially among die-hard fans. But when Janie and Stephen Schaffer decided to buy and relaunch Fiorucci—a name that was synonymous with all things cool, fun, and sexy during a good chunk of the 1970's and 80's— they had more than the usual reasons to be anxious. For one thing, the Schaffers are English and in their 50's, while the original Italian label, with its see-through-plastic jeans and glitter-festooned purple sunglasses, was all about wacky, youthful irreverence. For another, founder Elio Fiorucci had been the kind of retail pioneer who didn’t leave much room for improvement: He’d essentially invented the concept store, paving the way for today’s fashion-art-music emporiums like Colette and Dover Street Market. What’s more, the Fiorucci ethos embodied optimism, globalism, and a kind of carefree sexiness—qualities that are not exactly in sync with our current era of Brexit, Trumpism, and inward-looking angst.

Janie acknowledges that the challenges have occasionally left her frozen with fear. “You think, Oh, my God, can we ever do justice to Fiorucci? Because you’re trying to tap into a psyche of happiness from 1982,” she says. “Fashion is such a serious business now. How on earth do you go back and make people feel like they’re 20 again?”